Island of NorderneyPartner in the EU project INSULAE

The INSULAE project contributes to the decarbonisation of European islands. The islands of Bornholm (Denmark) Madeira (Portugal) and Unije on the Adriatic Sea (Croatia) are the lighthouse islands where use cases demonstrate how a low-carbon and clean energy supply can succeed. 

INSULAE's project partners were on the lookout for a German island. Steinbeis Europa Zentrum identified Norderney as a suitable candidate and integrated it into the EU application. After the SEZ as a partner in the EU project NETfficient accompanied the municipal utility Borkum on its way to energy self-sufficiency, the experience gained now lives on in the project INSULAE in cooperation with the municipal utility Norderney. 

INSULAE started in April 2019 with 27 partners, including research institutions, universities, energy suppliers, public administrations and various companies active in the energy sector. The EU is funding the project with €12 million over four years. The focus is on developing an investment planning tool for decarbonizing islands. The measures are expected to reduce fossil fuel consumption by an average of 11% on the islands. 

The tool is now being tested on the German North Sea island of Norderney, among others. Other followers are the islands of Menorca (Spain) and Psara (Greece). The selected islands complement each other in many ways, with different locations, sizes, connection to the mainland, economic development, share of renewable energy and CO2 intensity of electricity. 

As a follower, the island of Norderney benefits from the exchange and development of the latest technologies. In dialogue with the other follower islands in Greece and Spain, the measures are tested and implemented on the island. As a project partner, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum will support the island of Norderney in knowledge transfer and implementation until March 2023.