A Caribbean Island Says Goodbye Diesel and Hello 100% Renewable Electricity - battery storage systems

Bonaire (pop.
14,500), a small island near the coast of Venezuela, known for its beautiful marine coral reefs, where 70,000 tourists visit each year.
Many tourists don't realize that most of the electricity they need comes from renewable energy.
However, for the residents of Bonaire Island, the transformation of fossils
The provision of fuel for renewable energy systems has changed the world.
Like many Caribbean islands, Bonaire initially relied on diesel to generate electricity for its residents, with a maximum demand of 11 MW.
This fuel must be shipped in from other countries, resulting in high electricity prices for residents of Bonaire Island, while not sure when and when prices may rise as fuel costs change.
Everything changed in 2004 when a fire destroyed the existing diesel power plant.
Despite the tragic circumstances, this provides an opportunity for Bonaire to consider what new power systems will be built.
Temporary diesel generators were rented to provide short-term electricity.
At the same time, the government and local utilities have begun to work together to develop a plan that will enable Bonaire to achieve the goal of 100% of its electricity from renewable sources.
Bonaire's power system transformation results in the transformation of the power system on Bonaire.
There are now 12 wind turbines on the island, with a total of 11 megawatts of wind power capacity. at the peak of the wind, wind power accounts for 90% of the island's electricity, with an average annual electricity consumption of 40 per cent.
Battery storage (6 MWh) is included in order to make use of the available power in the event of strong winds and to provide the stored power in the event of strong winds.
The battery also improves the reliability of the whole system, it is able to provide 3 MW in two minutes, and when the wind suddenly drops, there is time to start additional power generation.
The Bonaire system also includes 14 MW of diesel power generation, 5 total generators that provide the power needed to meet the load when there is not enough wind.
The generator is equipped with traditional diesel and biodiesel.
Follow-up steps for energy conversion on the island include the use of local algae resources grown in large salt flats on the island to make biofuels, which can then be used in existing generators.
This will enable the island of Bonaire to operate a 100% renewable power system with an average wind force of 40 °f 45 45% and biodiesel of 55 °f 60 60%.
(See previous articles on bonaire energy-Rich salt beach.
) The new power system brings more reliable electricity, more jobs, less dependence on oil (and fluctuations in oil prices), and less electricity.
Residents of Bonaire are currently paying $0.
22/kWhfor numericity, which is much lower than the prices of other nearby Caribbean islands, is usually $0. More than 36/kWh.
When oil prices soared in 2008, while Bonaire was still using temporary diesel generators before the transition to renewable energy, the price of electricity on the island reached $0. 50/kWh.
The new power system has also created work for the construction and continuous operation of wind farms and research and development of algae production capacity and the transformation of biofuels.
It will create more jobs for the continuous algae production and operation of biodiesel plants.
The success of Bonaire's updated power system provides an important example for other nearby islands to give them the opportunity to achieve a high level of renewable energy penetration.
Why did Bonaire switch to renewable energy?
Two aspects unique to Bonaire's situation may help decide to switch to a 100% renewable power system.
A driver may be a special municipality within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
This provides links to the Netherlands and Europe, where many countries have absorbed a large amount of wind and other renewable energy.
Nearby Aruba, the Dutch Caribbean island, also has a wind farm that provides up to 20% of the island's electricity.
Islands linked to European countries may have a common theme of moving faster to renewable energy than other countries.
In the case of Bonaire Island, the company that is developing the project, Ecopower Bonaire BV, consists of Dutch and German companies.
Secondly, the government of bonaire and local power suppliers have the opportunity to build a new renewable power system because they need to replace the damaged factory.
The existing diesel resources in many other Caribbean islands have not yet been used up.
These existing generators may still be part of the power system, especially as renewable energy is gradually added to the system, and may even continue to be used as a backup power supply for the transformation system that operates primarily using renewable energy.
However, if some or all of the existing diesel resources on an island are completely closed before the end of their available life, the island needs to take into account the relevant sunk costs and incorporate them into its overall energy transformation plan.
Bonaire Island, as an inspiration for the Caribbean rmi and Carbon War Room, works with the Caribbean islands to transform power systems using the potential of local renewable resources to provide renewable, reliable and safe power systems, provide affordable energy supplies to their citizens.
One of the participating islands is Aruba, which is adjacent to the island of Bonaire and is part of the ABC islands of the Netherlands and Curaçao.
While the transition from Bonaire to renewable energy is not part of the top ten Island challenges, the ongoing work of RMI and cwr GmbH in the region will strive to spread the success of Bonaire to the rest of the region, so that more Caribbean islands can be used efficiently and