Aruba, a 19 mile long island in the southern Caribbean Sea, is dependent on imported fossil\u00a0fuels, with more than 80% of the island\u2019s electricity generated using heavy fuel oil. But over the next half dozen years, that is going to change. Aruba has pledged to transition to 100% renewable electricity\u00a0by 2020 with particular emphasis on variable wind and solar for renewable energy.<\/p>\n
Aruba is making progress toward\u00a0sustainability as it develops a renewable energy framework, which requires overbuilding capacity\u00a0or integrating storage technologies to compensate for the\u00a0variable nature of wind and solar. The Vader Piet wind farm generates part of Aruba\u2019s\u00a0electricity needs, and there is a second wind farm in development. Additional planned projects include an Airport Solar\u00a0Park, a waste-to-energy plant, solar\u00a0panels on residential and commercial buildings. When completed,\u00a0these projects will generate a substantial\u00a0percentage of Aruba\u2019s power needs.\u00a0Aruba is also researching ocean thermal energy conversion,\u00a0geothermal power, and energy storage technologies.<\/p>\n
Aruba will also look to new ways to convert waste to energy and increase energy efficiency. To leverage its resources, the island must address barriers,\u00a0such as limited open land and steeply sloping seabed.\u00a0The utility company is working to provide air conditioning using ice that is produced at night when electricity costs are lower. Advanced technology such as floating\u00a0offshore wind turbines and novel applications of commercial\u00a0technology may be needed to reach the ambitious 100% clean electricity\u00a0by 2020 goal.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Justin Locke, director of the island energy program at the Carbon War Room, an international nonprofit, says it makes sense for islands to switch to clean power.\u00a0\u201cIslands currently pay some of the highest electricity prices in the world. At the same time, they also have some of the best renewable energy resources.\u201d<\/p>\n
To move beyond the transition to renewable energy to smart growth, Aruba’s plans include:<\/p>\n
The Green\u00a0Platform has been the foundational mechanism to develop an land-use and urban planning component for Aruba that promotes the transition to renewable forms of energy.<\/p>\n
The Government of\u00a0Aruba has goals\u00a0to balance\u00a0quality of life and\u00a0sustained economic\u00a0growth through a\u00a0sustainable and\u00a0shared prosperity. To achieve these goals, Aruba promotes\u00a0economic growth,\u00a0social equity, and\u00a0environmental\u00a0awareness.\u00a0Aruba has designed an initiative to\u00a0develop the island as a\u00a0gateway between Europe and the Americas in the\u00a0areas of green technology,\u00a0business support services,\u00a0and creative industries, which is intended to bring\u00a0greater economic\u00a0diversification, stability,\u00a0growth, and increased sustainability\u00a0to Aruba.<\/p>\n
\u201cIslands provide an incredible blueprint, or guiding light, for what a renewable economy could look like from a technical, financial, and regulatory perspective,” according to Locke, “because they are actually moving in that direction now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Want to learn more? Check out Sustainable and Shared Prosperity in Aruba<\/a>,\u00a0Carbon War Room Research Report<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Many countries have\u00a0made initial plans to transition to renewable energy resources. 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