What is the energy transitions initiative?

Discover more tools and initiatives from the Energy Transitions Initiative. The Energy Transitions Initiative's island energy snapshots highlight the energy landscape of islands in the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the surrounding areas, which have some of the world’s highest electricity prices in the world.

When was the United States Minor Outlying Islands created?

ISO introduced the term "United States Minor Outlying Islands" in 1986. From 1974 until 1986, five of the islands (Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Palmyra Atoll, and Kingman Reef) were grouped under the term United States Miscellaneous Pacific Islands, with ISO 3166 code PU.

Can 'Island laboratories' help solve the green energy problem?

But as SIDS find solutions to their green energy conundrum, ‘island laboratories’ may just be able to generate some valuable lessons for the rest of the world to heed. This article is part of The Ethical Corporation's Decarbonising Industries series, which is being published over the course of this month.

Could geothermal power power a small island?

While most small islands will have to rely on intermittent solar or wind power, others are blessed with significant geothermal or hydroelectric potential that could provide a baseload electricity supply, and could conceivably follow the paths of Iceland and New Zealand.

Do small islands need a lot of space?

Shah of the University of Delaware points out that while a lack of space is often cited as a constraint for installing renewables on small islands, the efficiency of both solar and wind energy has improved markedly over the last decade, meaning less space is needed. Meanwhile, islands are exploring technologies to harness energy at sea.

Why do Islands use geothermal energy?

Indeed, islands have often been at the forefront of innovation in energy systems as they seek to reduce their dependence on expensive imported fossil fuels. Iceland and New Zealand, for example, were among the first countries to make use of geothermal energy on a large scale.