La Palma busca replicar modelo energético de éxito de Samsø
Representatives of the three entities will firsthand experience the Danish citizen experience that has made the island a benchmark for decarbonization.
The objective of the visit is to implement a similar model on the island.
The Cabildo de La Palma, La Palma Renovable, and the Energy Community Energía Bonita, in their commitment to promote the energy transition of La Palma, are visiting the island of Samsø in Denmark. The main objective of this visit is to closely learn about the successful decarbonization model that has transformed the economy of this Danish island, in order to study its possible implementation in La Palma.
Under citizen leadership, the small Danish island of Samsø became a global benchmark in energy transition. Thanks to a project started in 1997, Samsø went from depending on fossil fuels to not only completely supplying itself with renewable energies but also producing surpluses. It has thus demonstrated that achieving energy self-sufficiency is possible even in island communities. Today, Samsø is an inspiring example for the world for completing the decarbonization of its economy thanks to citizens, administrations, and entities working towards the same goal.
In the team that has traveled to Denmark, we find the island’s Energy and Industry councilor, Fernando González, who along with the rest of the team will have the opportunity to meet with Samsø’s Energy Academy, responsible for the Danish project, to learn firsthand about the details of its implementation and the benefits it has brought to the local community.
Part of the success of the Samsø project was based on creating cooperatives in which residents could participate as partners. This approach gave the community a sense of ownership and commitment. This same spirit led to the creation of Energía Bonita, the Island Energy Community of La Palma, three years ago, which now has eight shared photovoltaic energy installations in various municipalities of La Palma. This has created a collaborative ecosystem that can gradually supply renewable energy to the associated individuals.
«We are very excited about this opportunity to learn from the Samsø experience. We believe that their citizen-driven decarbonization model is an example to follow for La Palma,» says Nuria Albet, coordinator of La Palma Renovable. «And we are convinced that this visit will be very fruitful for the future of the island since citizen entities have been working for years to promote a participatory energy transition in La Palma, and the Cabildo shows that it is working in the same direction, as evidenced by the current visit to Samsø.»
For his part, Fernando González emphasizes that many lessons can be learned from Samsø that can be transferred to La Palma to advance towards energy self-sufficiency. The councilor recalled that the island government’s objective is to achieve greater decarbonization of the island’s territory, taking advantage of renewable energies and applying the experiences of other territories, such as Samsø.
This trip has been made possible thanks to the coordination of different actors and projects. Energía Bonita will benefit from the Communities for Climate project of the European Commission, the Cabildo from its own funding, and the guidance received in Samsø will be covered within the Clean Energy for EU Islands program of the European Commission.
It is worth mentioning that La Palma Renovable is a project funded by the Cabildo de La Palma and aims for a 100% renewable island, focusing on distributed generation, local economy, and citizen participation.
