The Isle of Man is set to generate as much as 75% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2026, its government has announced.
Ministers have given the go-ahead for the island’s state-owned electricity supplier Manx Utilities to start work on generating 30MW of electricity from onshore wind and solar power within the next three years.
The island’s current electricity demand averages at around 40MW and peaks at around 75MW in winter, but can fall as low as 25MW at night during the summer.
The UK island’s Chief Minister Alfred Cannan MHK said: “Today marks a major milestone in the Isle of Man’s commitment to become a net zero nation by 2050 and to decarbonise our electricity production by 2030.
“Electricity generation is the largest single source of carbon emissions in the Isle of Man, accounting for around 35% of our annual total, so this is the obvious place to start with our decarbonisation plans if we are to make significant inroads, and quickly.
“Thirty megawatts by 2026 is an ambitious and stretching goal for an island community, but one we must achieve if we are to play our part in tackling global warming and climate change.”
Sites on the island in public ownership are being targeted for the installation of solar panels, including car parks and government buildings.
Wind turbines could also be built on publicly-owned sites focussing on areas where the wind yield is likely to be highest, subject to planning approvals.
The majority of the island’s electricity is currently generated using natural gas, with diesel, energy from waste, hydroelectric and a subsea cable to England making up the remainder.
The Isle of Man, a self-governing Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea at the heart of the British Isles, is home to 85,000 people and is unique in being the only nation in the world where the entirety of its territory – the land and the sea – makes up a UNESCO Biosphere.