SIDS Lighthouses Initiative

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General

Name of initiative SIDS Lighthouses Initiative
LPAA initiative Yes
NAZCA Initiative Yes
Website address https://islands.irena.org/
Related initiatives
Starting year 2014
End year
Secretariat SIDS Lighthouses Initiative; Email: Islands@irena.org

There is no dedicated Secretariat. IRENA as the coordinator facilitates all the SIDS LHI activities through its headquarters in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and IRENA Innovation and Technology Centre (IITC) in Bonn, Germany and through the IRENAOffice of the Permanent Observer to the United Nations in New York, United States of America.

Organisational structure
Geographical coverage SIDS
Name of lead organisation International Renewable Energy Agency
Type of lead organisation International organisation
Location/Nationality of lead organisation United Arab Emirates

Description

Description The SIDS Lighthouses Initiative (LHI) launched at the United Nations Climate Summit in 2014, aims to support SIDS in their energy transformation. As a framework for action, it addresses all elements of the energy transition, from policy and market frameworks to technology options and capacity building. The Initiative which is being coordinated by IRENA facilitates coordinate support fro SIDS, primarily through partnerships with public, private, intergovernmental and non-governmental stakeholder organisations.
Objectives The SIDS Lighthouses Initiative is committed to providing its SIDS partners (i) policy, regulatory and technical advisory services for RE roadmaps, assessments and grid stability analyses, project planning, identification, structuring and execution; (ii) capacity building for local policymakers, utilities, private sector, financing institutions and other relevant actors, (iii) funding for early-stage transactions and project finance aiming to attract private investments in RE projects and (iv) a platform to share information, knowledge, lessons learned and good practices.
Activities Given the initial LHI targets for 2020 have been met and exceeded ahead of schedule, further efforts are still necessary to accelerate energy transformation of SIDS. Almost all SIDS have set indicative national renewable energy targets coupled with strong political commitments resulted in 12 LHI SIDS partners targeting for more than 80% RE penetration in the power sector.

IRENA undertook a consultation with SIDS LHI partners to identify new priority areas, whilst noting the persistent challenges faced by SIDS: heavy dependence on fossil fuels, high electricity tariffs, natural disasters, supply disruptions and inadequate infrastructure, limited access to affordable finance, weak institutional framework and limited capacity, and limited access to energy and modern technology. The new priority areas of the next phase of SIDS LHI which was endorsed at a High-Level Roundtable "Increasing Ambition to Accelerate Energy Transformation in SIDS" on September 2018 are: - 1. Support SIDS in reviewing and implementing NDCs, extending technical assistance and capacity building where needed. 2. Expand from assessment and planning to implementing effective, innovative solutions, with continued technical and regulatory advisory services to help SIDS overcome the unique challenges they face. 3. Promote all renewable sources, including geothermal and ocean energy, and step up work to integrate solar PV and wind power. 4. Support the development of bankable projects, fostering access to finance and closer co-operation with the private sector. 5. Strengthen institutional and human capacity development in all segments of the renewable energy value chain. 6. Expand focus beyond power generation to include transportation and other end-use sectors. 7. Leverage synergies between renewables and energy efficiency. 8. Reinforce links between renewables and non-energy sectors – including agriculture, food, health and water – to foster broad socio-economic development, as well as raising awareness about job creation, gender equality and women’s empowerment through renewable energy development. 9. Link renewable energy uptake to climate resilience and more effective disaster recovery. 10. Enhance collection and dissemination of data and statistics, supporting informed decision-making and effective monitoring. 11. Reinforce and expand partner engagement, leveraging synergies with existing SIDS initiatives and other IRENA coordinated platforms, such as the Global Geothermal Alliance, the International Off-Grid Renewable Energy Conference and the Coalition for Action. 12. Boost renewable power deployment, aiming for a target of five gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity in SIDS by 2023.

One or two success stories achieved According to IRENA data, the total installed capacity of renewables in the LHI's 36 SIDS partners accounts for about 2.95 GW by end of 2018, of which 660 MW were installed since 2014. These installations included more than 400 MW of solar photovoltaics (PV), 100 MW of wind. This means that the initial targets set for capacity installation by 2020 have been exceeded ahead of schedule. In addition, LHI's 23 SIDS have developed specific renewable energy roadmaps or action plans to achieve sustainable development goals.

Monitoring and Impacts

Sustainable Development Impact:
E SDG goals icons-individual-rgb-02.png   E SDG goals icons-individual-rgb-03.png   E SDG goals icons-individual-rgb-06.png   E SDG goals icons-individual-rgb-07.png   E SDG goals icons-individual-rgb-08.png   E SDG goals icons-individual-rgb-11.png   E SDG goals icons-individual-rgb-13.png   E SDG goals icons-individual-rgb-17.png  
Function of initiative Technical dialogue, Implementation, Political dialogue, Capacity building
Activity of initiative Policy planning and recommendations, Knowledge dissemination and exchange, Goal setting (ex-ante), Training and education, Technical operational implementation (ex-post)
Indicators
Technical operational implementation (ex-post) — Mitigation - Renewable energy
Year2021
Value (MW installed)3450
Goal setting (ex-ante) — Mitigation - Renewable energy
Year2023
Value (MW installed)5000
Goals 1. Support SIDS in reviewing and implementing NDCs, extending technical assistance and capacity building where needed.

2. Expand from assessment and planning to implementing effective, innovative solutions, with continued technical and regulatory advisory services to help SIDS overcome the unique challenges they face. 3. Promote all renewable sources, including geothermal and ocean energy, and step up work to integrate solar PV and wind power. 4. Support the development of bankable projects, fostering access to finance and closer co-operation with the private sector. 5. Strengthen institutional and human capacity development in all segments of the renewable energy value chain. 6. Expand focus beyond power generation to include transportation and other end-use sectors. 7. Leverage synergies between renewables and energy efficiency. 8. Reinforce links between renewables and non-energy sectors – including agriculture, food, health and water – to foster broad socio-economic development, as well as raising awareness about job creation, gender equality and women’s empowerment through renewable energy development. 9. Link renewable energy uptake to climate resilience and more effective disaster recovery. 10. Enhance collection and dissemination of data and statistics, supporting informed decision-making and effective monitoring. 11. Reinforce and expand partner engagement, leveraging synergies with existing SIDS initiatives and other IRENA coordinated platforms, such as the Global Geothermal Alliance, the International Off-Grid Renewable Energy Conference and the Coalition for Action. 12. Boost renewable power deployment, aiming for a target of five gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity in SIDS by 2023.

Comments on indicators and goals IRENA is currently developing the progress indicators and impact measures of the SIDS LHI priority areas that can be found on the website.

The SIDS LHI has also set an installed capacity target of 5 GW by 2023 after consultation with all the partners in 2018. This is monitored on a yearly basis with the support provided by the Statistics Unit and in close consultation with the 36 SIDS that are LHI partners. IRENA convenes a yearly ministerial meeting to report on the progress of the SIDS LHI work to its partners during the IRENA Assembly. The SIDS Ambitious Climate Package Initiative which is operationalized through the SIDS LHI also provides yearly update at the UN Secretary General's Climate Summit.

How will goals be achieved The goals will be achieved by working in collaboration with all key stakeholders and partners in supporting SIDS in their energy transformation to meet the SDG goals and NDC targets.
Have you changed or strenghtened your goals SIDS LHI goals have changed after the initial targets of SIDS LHI was achieved three years ahead of schedule. The new priority areas were identified through a thorough consultation process with all the 60 partners of the SIDS Lighthouses Initiative.

The SIDS LHI priority areas have been strengthened to address persisting challenges that SIDS continue to face such as heavy dependency on fossil fuels, high electricity tariffs, natural disasters, supply disruptions and inadequate infrastructure, limited access to affordable finance, weak institutional framework and limited capacity and limited access to energy and modern technology.

Progress towards the goals
How are you tracking progress of your initiative IRENA publishes a progress annual report on the SIDS Lighthouses Initiative based on updates provided by partners as well as the IRENA Statistics. A copy can be downloaded from this link: https://islands.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Sids/IRENA_SIDS_Brochure_September-2019.ashx
Available reporting IRENA Work Programme: https://www.irena.org/officialdocuments

SIDS Lighthouses Initiative Progress: https://islands.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Sids/IRENA_SIDS_Brochure_September-2019.ashx

Participants

Participants Number Names
Members 60  
Companies 1 ENEL (Italy).
Business organisations 0
Research and educational organisations 0
Non-governmental organisations 12 Indian Ocean Commission (Mauritius),  IRENA (United Arab Emirates),  Overseas Countries and Territories Association (Belgium),  European Union (Belgium),  Clean Energy Solutions Center (USA),  Clinton Climate Initiative (USA),  Rocky Mountain Institute - Carbon War Room (USA),  SE4ALL (Denmark),  Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (Saint Lucia),  Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (Saint Lucia),  Pacific Islands Development Forum (Fiji),  Solar Head of State (USA)
National states 45 Aruba,  Belize,  British Virgin Islands,  Cuba,  Dominican Republic,  Montserrat,  Saint Lucia,  Turks and Caicos,  New Caledonia,  Niue,  Papua New Guinea,  Antigua and Barbuda,  Mauritius,  Bahamas,  Nauru,  Barbados,  Palau,  Cabo Verde,  Samoa,  Comoros,  São Tomé and Príncipe,  Cook Islands,  St. Vincent and the Grenadines,  Fiji,  Seychelles,  Grenada,  Solomon Islands,  Guyana,  Tonga,  Kiribati,  Trinidad and Tobago,  Maldives,  Tuvalu,  Marshall Islands,  Vanuatu,  Federated States of Micronesia,  New Zealand,  Norway,  France,  Germany,  United Arab Emirates,  USA,  Japan,  Denmark,  Italy
Governmental actors 0
Regional / state / county actors 0
City / municipal actors 0
Intergovernmental organisations 1 UNDP (USA).
Financial Institutions 1 World Bank (USA)
Faith based organisations 0
Other members 0
Supporting partners 0
Number of members in the years
2019
60
Have only national states as participators No


Theme

Transport Agriculture Forestry Business Financial institutions Buildings Industry Waste Cities and subnational governments Short Term Pollutants International maritime transport Energy Supply Fluorinated gases Energy efficiency Renewable energy Supply chain emission reductions Adaptation Other Resilience Innovation Energy Access and Efficiency Private Finance
Yes No No No No Yes No Yes No No No Yes No No Yes No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Last update: 13 February 2023 15:23:12

Not only have national states as participators