Progress report for
Lighthouses Initiative
Achievement at a glance
At the end of 2017, IRENA data shows that SIDS partners of LHI currently account for more than 2.75 GW of total RE installed capacity. More than 400 MW of RE capacity has been installed from 2014 to 2017. SIDS have already exceeded the LHI solar PV target with over 250 MW installed between 2014 and 2017. The LHI wind power target has also been exceeded with over 50MW installed in the same period. Further, funds mobilized have exceeded the initial target of 500 million USD.Challenges faced in implementation
- Lack, or poor quality, of energy data is a challenge. Lighthouses partners have support data collection and management and are undertaking capacity building initiatives to support data collection, management and sharing.<br>- Limited capacity. SIDS are in several cases faced with limited human capacity across the renewable energy value chain. Capacity building efforts have been increased by LHI partners to improve the skills of individuals and institutions, e.g. through workshops (e.g. on integration of high share of variable renewable energy) or through the development of platforms and tools (e.g. the IRENA Project navigator).
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Beneficiaries
Lighthouses consists of 36 SIDS partners, who are the direct beneficiaries of the Initiative. All island nations are able to benefit from the knowledge products developed under the initiative.
Actions
- Enhanced local capacity. SIDS Lighthouses partners have continued to collaborate to support capacity building in SIDS. Some examples are the recent workshops to identify new project opportunities and explore practical steps to develop bankable proposals. The islands module of the IRENA ‘Project Navigator’ has also been developed in 2017 with the aim to supports developers in the preparation of bankable renewable energy projects in SIDS.<br>- Improved Planning. Lighthouses partners have supported SIDS in energy sector planning. For example, the grid integration study for the Cook Islands has supported the development of Cook Islands Renewable Energy Charts for the island of Aitutaki, and informed the implementation plan to achieve 100% renewables in the country by 2020.
<br>The grid integration study for Antigua has given policy-makers and the public utility insights on the amount of variable renewable energy that can be implemented on the island without major infrastructure upgrades.
<br>New grid integration studies were started in 2017 for the Dominican Republic, Fiji, and Vanuatu and the final results are expected for end 2018.
<br>The roadmap analysis for Palau provides renewable energy deployment options for the main national grid.
<br>- Information sharing. A dedicated website (http://islands.irena.org) for SIDS Lighthouses Initiative was launched to promote and disseminate information on SIDS and support their energy sector transformation. A video (https://youtu.be/B6b15GqjoMY) has been developed by IRENA, with the support of Government of Germany, to increase awareness on current issues facing islands and to highlight the need for immediate action to transform SIDS into more resilient economies.
<br>- Facilitated access to financing. The IRENA-ADFD Project Facility provides concessional loans over 7 funding cycles to promising renewable energy projects in developing countries. Up to the 5th cycle, 10 of 21 projects selected were in SIDS, reflecting USD $111m of a total USD $214m. Additional funding for these projects amounted to over US $365m.
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