How to quickly transition from 0% to 100% renewable energy on an island in the northwest corner of Europe?

An economic energy transition for the Isle of Man is being tested and optimised by combining the results of energy system simulation and power-flow modelling. The island lies between Ireland and the UK and currently relies on an 80 MW gas-fuelled power plant for electricity. This plant can be replaced with 100 MW of local wind power and 40 MW of local solar photovoltaic energy by utilising a staged approach by first building a high voltage transmission line to the island’s capital, then reinforcing the grid around the relevant substations and finally installing an additional sub-sea cable. Balance and stability can be maintained using some or all of the following – interconnection, long-duration energy storage, short-duration energy storage, various forms of power electronics and synchronous condensers. The specific problem of intermittent supply versus variable demand can be boiled down to the fact that only 65% of the renewable energy can be used when it is generated – the rest has to be exported or stored. Whichever route is taken, the cost of renewable energy is less than the current price of fossil fuel-based power.