International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Office of the Permanent Observer for the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to the United Nations | Uganda House, 336 East 45th
Street, 11th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10017 | Tel: +1 646 738 2010 | yortiz@irena.org | www.irena.org
Global Multi-stakeholder SIDS Partnership Dialogue
7 June 2017
IRENA: Update on the SIDS Lighthouse Initiative.
Distinguished Ministers,
Excellencies, Colleagues,
It is an honor to join you in this important Conference and update you on progress in one of our landmark initiatives, the SIDS Lighthouse Initiative.
The SIDS Lighthouses Initiative, launched in September 2014 to support the transformation of the SIDS’ energy systems, has already 36 Small Island Developing States (SIDS) as members, as well as 19 development partners. Through the Lighthouses Initiative, IRENA continues to carry out a wide range of activities within all the SIDS regions, such as resource assessments, grid integration studies, energy transition plans, capacity building activities and project facilitation.
A few significant examples are:
Targeted advisory services, such as through RE-islands roadmaps and grid studies, have been key for islands to integrate larger share of renewables into energy mix:
- Studies on renewable energy desalination opportunities for Kiribati and Cabo Verde have been completed.
- RE-islands roadmaps have been completed for Kiribati and Barbados.
- Samoa is implementing the necessary infrastructure upgrades to allow for reliable grid operation with planned solar photovoltaics (PV) projects.
- A grid study for the Cook Islands has supported the development of renewable energy plans for the island of Aitutaki; a grid integration study in Antigua.
- Within the AIMS region, IRENA’s Global Atlas team has piloted a new wind and solar site assessment service.
- Tourism-focused case studies for the Caribbean and the Pacific have been completed.
- An Islands module on IRENA’s Project Navigator to support project development has been established.
IRENA’s advisory services also include implementation pathways, facilitating the achievement of targets set in national policies and in the National Determined Contributions (NDCs). This is being
Office of the Permanent Observer for the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to the United Nations | Uganda House, 336 East 45th
Street, 11th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10017 | Tel: +1 646 738 2010 | yortiz@irena.org | www.irena.org
facilitated by a study quantifying additional renewable energy generation capacity required and investment needs based on the NDCs of islands.
Capacity building and training: An important part of transferring knowledge is the tackling of information gaps and the building of capacity. IRENA has continued to provide training in collaboration with a range of SIDS Lighthouses partners.
- In this context, the Government of Japan and IRENA coordinated training workshops for Pacific SIDS and the Maldives to further explore the enabling environments in support of the wide scale deployment of renewable energy.
- In recognition of the importance of the integration of variable renewables, IRENA held three technical workshops in Saint Maarten, Tonga, and Cuba.
- Another workshop on financing renewable energy in SIDS was held in Nadi, Fiji last year, in collaboration with amongst other the U.S. and Japan.
These are just a few examples of the activities carried out under the initiative. We welcome reactions and are open to engaging with new partners to accelerate progress and further the objectives of this partnership.
Street, 11th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10017 | Tel: +1 646 738 2010 | yortiz@irena.org | www.irena.org
Global Multi-stakeholder SIDS Partnership Dialogue
7 June 2017
IRENA: Update on the SIDS Lighthouse Initiative.
Distinguished Ministers,
Excellencies, Colleagues,
It is an honor to join you in this important Conference and update you on progress in one of our landmark initiatives, the SIDS Lighthouse Initiative.
The SIDS Lighthouses Initiative, launched in September 2014 to support the transformation of the SIDS’ energy systems, has already 36 Small Island Developing States (SIDS) as members, as well as 19 development partners. Through the Lighthouses Initiative, IRENA continues to carry out a wide range of activities within all the SIDS regions, such as resource assessments, grid integration studies, energy transition plans, capacity building activities and project facilitation.
A few significant examples are:
Targeted advisory services, such as through RE-islands roadmaps and grid studies, have been key for islands to integrate larger share of renewables into energy mix:
- Studies on renewable energy desalination opportunities for Kiribati and Cabo Verde have been completed.
- RE-islands roadmaps have been completed for Kiribati and Barbados.
- Samoa is implementing the necessary infrastructure upgrades to allow for reliable grid operation with planned solar photovoltaics (PV) projects.
- A grid study for the Cook Islands has supported the development of renewable energy plans for the island of Aitutaki; a grid integration study in Antigua.
- Within the AIMS region, IRENA’s Global Atlas team has piloted a new wind and solar site assessment service.
- Tourism-focused case studies for the Caribbean and the Pacific have been completed.
- An Islands module on IRENA’s Project Navigator to support project development has been established.
IRENA’s advisory services also include implementation pathways, facilitating the achievement of targets set in national policies and in the National Determined Contributions (NDCs). This is being
Office of the Permanent Observer for the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to the United Nations | Uganda House, 336 East 45th
Street, 11th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10017 | Tel: +1 646 738 2010 | yortiz@irena.org | www.irena.org
facilitated by a study quantifying additional renewable energy generation capacity required and investment needs based on the NDCs of islands.
Capacity building and training: An important part of transferring knowledge is the tackling of information gaps and the building of capacity. IRENA has continued to provide training in collaboration with a range of SIDS Lighthouses partners.
- In this context, the Government of Japan and IRENA coordinated training workshops for Pacific SIDS and the Maldives to further explore the enabling environments in support of the wide scale deployment of renewable energy.
- In recognition of the importance of the integration of variable renewables, IRENA held three technical workshops in Saint Maarten, Tonga, and Cuba.
- Another workshop on financing renewable energy in SIDS was held in Nadi, Fiji last year, in collaboration with amongst other the U.S. and Japan.
These are just a few examples of the activities carried out under the initiative. We welcome reactions and are open to engaging with new partners to accelerate progress and further the objectives of this partnership.
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