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ePaper created 2015-01-26, 11:32:36 | version 1.34.00
23 In 2012, while you were probably going about your business, a village in Cape Verde’s westernmost island called Monte Trigo26 experienced its first 24 hours of electricity thanks to an off-grid solar energy project demonstrating that rural electrification is feasible. And in 2013, Cape Verde decided to go 100 per cent renewable by 2020. But just like Cape Verde, many other islands are on the same track. Halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, an exotic and tropical group of three atolls known as Tokelau27 seems like an idyllic holiday destination that guarantees a real adventure – it’s a two-day journey by boat just to get there. But before celebrating your arrival with a cool drink, there is something every visitor should know: the 12 km2 small island state is on the treacherous frontline of climate change; enduring extreme weather, storm surges, droughts, coral-bleaching and salt intrusion into their limited groundwater. Tokelau may be the first of many such islands to slip beneath rising seas in the coming decades, but not before showing the world how to join the upcoming Club 100, an increasingly non- exclusive group of countries, regions and cities providing 100 per cent of their energy from clean energy sources. Tokelau is a strong candidate of the club, having worked diligently to replace diesel-only energy systems with a system that relies on solar power with back-up power from generators fired by biofuel made from local coconut oil. Tokelau is now home to the largest stand- alone solar system in the world – a 1 MW solar-battery system that provides 100 per cent of the electricity for its 1,500 citizens. The people of Tokelau cannot change the course of the climate crisis alone, but they do inspire by example and remind other countries of the direct and enduring consequences from burning fossilfuels.Theyareleadingbyexampleandshowingothercountries how to move rapidly and globally to an economy based on 100 per cent renewable energy. Club 100 is not a new development. At the end of the 20th century, almost everyone thought the idea behind it was as mythical and ephemeral as the lost continent of Atlantis. It’s just not possible, experts said, that a region or a city could provide all of its energy from renewable energy sources, notably because “fossil fuels will provide the majority of the energy for our societies well into the future”. A funny thing happened on the way to the future, though. Even vocal advocates of clean energy have been surprised by the rapid rate that reality has overtaken their expansive imaginations. Increasingly, countries and regions are leapfrogging renewable energy targets and moving toward full 100 per cent integration of renewable energy into their electricity and energy supplies. Some are moving even further, suggesting 150 per cent, or even 300 per cent renewable electricity generation, to meet not only electricity needs of households and commerce, but also for appli- cations such as electric transport. Membership of Club 100 could grow rapidly, with many medium- size cities aiming to transition to various forms of “100 per cent” in the coming decades. Larger cities with populations over 1 million are also working towards “100 per cent” or “near-100 per cent” goals. These include Fredrickshavn (Denmark), Moura (Portugal), Malmö (Sweden), and San Francisco (United States), which intend to join by 2020, and Copenhagen (Denmark), Hamburg and Munich (Germany), Gothenburg (Sweden), Rizhao (China) and Sydney (Australia), which all intend to join between 2025 and 2050. While some cities have set explicit 100 per cent renewable energy visions, others have instead established carbon-neutral or fossilfuel-free goals that imply moving towards 100 per cent renewable energy. In Sweden, Växjö aims to be fossil-fuel-free by 2030, and Gothenburg and Stockholm aim for the same by 2050. Large cities transitioning to completely decentralized energy systems are starting with smaller neighbourhoods and districts. Local authorities can advance the integration of renewable energy into districts within the larger city environment. Such districts allow for an incremental scale-up of renewable energy, while helping local authorities develop their own “best practices”, encourage business engagement and innovations, and gain public interest and acceptance. In addition, several cities have planned or designated zero-emissions districts, including Vancouver (Canada), Copenhagen (Denmark), Helsinki (Finland), Hamburg and Munich (Germany), Rotterdam (the Netherlands), Stockholm and Malmö (Sweden), and London (United Kingdom). National and local governments also plan a number of 100 per cent renewable energy cities to be constructed “from the ground up.” These include Masdar City in the United Arab Emirates, PlanIT Valley in Portugal, Songdo in South Korea, and Tianjin Eco City in China. These cities will have populations that range from the thousands to the hundreds of thousands of inhabitants. In Germany alone, more than 130 regions and municipalities have set themselves the target of providing 100 per cent of their ECOWAS Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE): The ECREEE secretariat is based in Cape Verde, Praia and was established in November 2009 by the ECOWAS Commission with support of the Austrian and Spanish Governments and technical assistance of UNIDO. ECREEE’s key objective is to support the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency markets in West Africa by supporting various activities to mitigate existing barriers. ECREEE activities include policy development and quality assurance, capacity building, the design and implementa- tion of tailored financing mechanisms and appraisal tools, awareness raising and the implementation of demonstration projects with potential for regional scaling-up. CAPE VERDE AND OTHERS, TOWARDS A CLUB 100