Energy costs are spiralling across the world and particularly in Europe. Reports of planned blackouts in the UK this winter during weekdays is a flashback to the 1970’s.
The devastating and ongoing tragic events in Ukraine have compounded existing energy constraints across Europe, Germany has closed most of its nuclear power plants and France has been struggling to maintain its nuclear output due to extended planned and unplanned maintenance programmes. On top of this, wholesale European energy prices have soared due to the ongoing conflict and due to a number of factors that are simply out of the control of all of us.
Following the States approval of The Guernsey Energy Policy in 2020, The Little Green Energy Company (LGE), a Guernsey based renewable energy company, has been working with Environment & Infrastructure (E&I) and The Energy Partnership, a group of island energy business experts, through a series of roundtables, consultation responses and direct meetings to enable a clear set of Market and Technical decisions to be agreed as part of the Electricity Strategy for the future of the island.
In recent days, scoping reports have been released detailing yet further opportunities in Solar, Wind and Tidal energy as part of the energy mix. LGE feels that it is positive that politicians and islanders are engaged in the journey towards net zero by 2050 and welcomes input from all interested groups and individuals as part of developing our island Electricity Strategy for generations to come.
Bob Beebe (pictured), CEO of LGE said: “We have seen unprecedented interest in our solar Photo Voltaic (PV) systems and battery storage systems in the last few months as islanders wish to be in charge of their own energy destiny. Our supplied domestic solar PV panels now have warranties in place now for forty years of operation demonstrating how the technology is now well proven and here to stay.
Mr Beebe continued: “Renewable energy is the cleanest form of energy we can use locally. If we can generate it locally with Guernsey sunshine, we also remove the transmission losses associated with getting it here to our island. You can also use the solar electricity generated to heat your hot water too. This is another form of energy storage”.
The new electricity strategy will be the blueprint for ‘keeping the lights on’ through a strategy for security and supply resilience, developing energy independence, and ensuring that technical and commercial market conditions are fit for purpose for the island to achieve these future goals. LGE has submitted a significant response to the detailed technical consultation document issued by E&I and looks forward to the final findings being published in due course, paving the way for energy operators, investors and islanders to have a clear mandate on the islands future energy direction.
Bob Beebe commented: “The Little Green Energy Company is ready to deliver medium to large scale renewable projects on island locally and cannot emphasise enough the importance of getting the Electricity Strategy work completed as soon as possible for the benefit of the island and its community.
“Guernsey aspires to be an island where young people want to live and work in a sustainable environment, where our government promotes clean energy initiatives in a practical, economical and achievable way. Without these key factors there could be an exodus of our future generations from the island.”
