Increasing the percentage of renewable energy in the production of electrical energy and creating an intelligent network that makes it possible to manage supply and demand and integrate electric vehicles into the equation are the main objectives of project “Green Islands”. Through this project MIT-Portugal and its partners aim to guarantee a high level of energy self sufficiency on several of the nine islands by 2018.

The first task, which has almost been concluded, is to assess energy consumption and natural resources on the islands. The working groups are divided into areas: energy smartgrids, integrated scenarios for islands, intelligent energy usage, the dynamics of renewable resources and sustainable mobility.

José Cabral Vieira, the vice Dean of the University of the Azores, underlined that the main aim had been achieved: «We will be providing information about energy consumption and the primary resources for energy production that can be made available to companies that are interested». Some teams are also launching other initiatives and projects, for example in the area of electric mobility. Studies are currently being concluded on carpooling and carsharing and for intelligent energy management a study is being conducted on the use of biomass to produce energy for farming.

The assessment phase is partially concluded, so preparations are now being made for demonstration projects that led to applications for European funding. One of these projects will look at the introduction of a small management smartgrid in Ponta Delgada, on the São Miguel Island.

Another project, this time on the Terceira Island, will study the market and the availability of charging points for the development of electric mobility. It will also launch an initiative for private entities to promote wind energy, which is new to the current setup in the Azores. The smallest island, the Corvo Island with 17 km2, will benefit from a project that aims to substitute gas with electricity to encourage the integration of renewable energy. This road towards sustainability will continue until 2018. «Green Islands is not a project, it is a process», concludes José Cabral Vieira.

Green Islands

Aim: 2018

Partners: The University of the Azores, the Technical Institute, the Higher Engineering and Management Institute of the Technical University of Lisbon, INESC Porto - Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering of Porto, the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra, the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Lisbon, Galp Energy, Efacec, EDP and EDA- Azores Electricity.

Research Areas

•         Energy smartgrids
•         Integrated scenarios for the islands
•         Smart energy usage
•         Exploiting renewable resources
•         Sustainable Mobility

Água & Ambiente, 1st December 2011