EU Geographical Islands as Leaders of Green Energy Transition

In the context of the worldwide effort to tackle climate change and implement the transition to renewable energy sources, the European Commission is taking actions to make islands the locomotives of the EU energy transition. This is due to the specific features that islands present, such as geographic, economic, and climate conditions, having in most cases a worse interconnection with energy grids, high energy production costs, more difficult access to finance, higher energy poverty, and more significant climate-related risks compared to mainland regions. Moreover, energy consumption and production are unevenly distributed during the year as relevant peaks are related to the presence of tourists in certain seasons. The solutions for decarbonization of islands are therefore characterized by high energy, environmental, and socio-economic benefits and can in the future be replicated on the mainland, thus contributing to the EU energy transition.

This workshop will bring together a selection of sister projects dealing with islands’ decarbonisation and clean energy transition, aimed at presenting their experience with the EU bodies, the financial schemes as well as their main technical outcomes.

The Sustainable Places 2024 workshop, similarly to what has been done during this same initiative starting from 2021, will look forward to the reinforcement of the synergies already created among the H2020-HEU-LIFE-Interreg projects NESOI (GA 864266), IANOS (GA 957810), REACT (GA 824395), RE-EMPOWERED (GA 101018420), SMHYLES (GA 101138029), ISLET (GA 101120073), PROMOTER (Interreg), STEP-WISE (GA 101120859), LOCALRES (GA 957819), MASTERPIECE (GA 101096836).

Contributing projects:

• NESOI
• IANOS
• REACT
• RE-EMPOWERED
• SMHYLES
• ISLET
• STEP-WISE
• LOCALRES
• MASTERPIECE

Speakers:

• Giorgio Bonvicini (RINA)
• Fabiola Roccatagliata (RINA)
• Mario Cortese (R2M Solution)
• Kostas Karanasios (DAFNI)
• Fausto Sainz (COMET)
• Nora Ganzinelli (RINA)
• Alessandra Montanelli (SINLOC)
• Francesca Battistelli (CNR)
• Cristina Barbero (Berchidda Municipality)
• Emilio Ghiani (Cagliari University)
• Alessandra Cuneo (RINA)