RENEWABLE MICROGRIDS: PROFILES FROM ISLANDS AND REMOTE COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE GLOBE

This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and Carbon War Room profiles 10 case studies of islands and remote communities transitioning from oil-dependent electricity systems to renewable microgrids. It identifies the drivers of change, technical and administrative challenges, and lessons learned to provide a roadmap for other isolated communities seeking to reduce costs and oil dependence through wind, solar, hydro, and energy storage.

• Islands and remote communities are disproportionately dependent on oil for electricity, leaving them exposed to high retail prices and price volatility. For example, average residential electricity rates in most Caribbean nations are at least three times higher than the average rate in most U.S. states, which is 12.5 cents per kilowatt-hour.
• The primary drivers for transitioning to renewable microgrids are high electricity costs, environmental concerns regarding climate change and carbon emissions, and the availability of abundant local resources, particularly wind energy, which typically provides more than 20 percent of the energy mix in the profiled cases.
• Transitioning to renewables presents three main challenges: grid stability, the logistical difficulties of remote locations, and administrative or bureaucratic hurdles related to grant applications and documentation.
• Energy storage is critical for high renewable penetration. While renewables can often be integrated at 10 to 15 percent of annual consumption without operational challenges, penetrations above 20 percent typically require energy storage, demand response, or the curtailment of renewable generation.
• The report highlights diverse successful implementations: Kodiak, Alaska, achieved 99.7 percent renewable penetration using hydro and wind; El Hierro, Spain, reached 100 percent using wind paired with pumped storage hydro; and the Falkland Islands reduced residential electricity rates from $0.42/kWh to $0.30/kWh since 2007 by integrating wind.
• Energy efficiency is identified as a highly cost-effective starting point for transitions, particularly where space for wind and solar is limited, although the report notes that most profiled cases underutilize these measures.

APA

Bunker, K., Doig, S., Hawley, K., & Morris, J. (2015). RENEWABLE MICROGRIDS: PROFILES FROM ISLANDS AND REMOTE COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE GLOBE. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/04/Islands_RenewableMicrogrids_Report_2015.pdf

Chicago

Bunker, Kaitlyn, Stephen Doig, Kate Hawley, and Jesse Morris. RENEWABLE MICROGRIDS: PROFILES FROM ISLANDS AND REMOTE COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE GLOBE. RMI, 2015. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/04/Islands_RenewableMicrogrids_Report_2015.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bunker |first1=Kaitlyn |last2=Doig |first2=Stephen |last3=Hawley |first3=Kate |last4=Morris |first4=Jesse |title=RENEWABLE MICROGRIDS: PROFILES FROM ISLANDS AND REMOTE COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE GLOBE |publisher=RMI |date=November 2015 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/04/Islands_RenewableMicrogrids_Report_2015.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bunker2015renewable, author = {Bunker, Kaitlyn and Doig, Stephen and Hawley, Kate and Morris, Jesse}, title = {{RENEWABLE MICROGRIDS: PROFILES FROM ISLANDS AND REMOTE COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE GLOBE}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2015}, month = nov, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/04/Islands_RenewableMicrogrids_Report_2015.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }