Decarbonizing the Galapagos Islands: Techno-Economic Perspectives for the Hybrid Renewable Mini-Grid Baltra–Santa Cruz

A hybrid renewable mini-grid system for Baltra–Santa Cruz, representing 62% of the Galapagos Islands' electricity generation mix, could significantly reduce diesel consumption and electricity costs while increasing renewable energy share. By installing 18.25 MWp of photovoltaic panels and 20.68 MWh of battery capacity, the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) could drop from 32.06 to 18.95 USc/kWh, raising the renewable energy share from 18% to 39%. Energy efficiency measures could further lower LCOE to 17.10 USc/kWh. The study, using HOMER Pro for techno-economic assessments, also highlights distributed energy as a key strategy for local community involvement in the transition and proposes a resilient business model combining auctions and energy community models.

Eras-Almeida, A., Egido-Aguilera, M., Blechinger, P., Berendes, S., Caamaño, E., & García-Alcalde, E. (2020). Decarbonizing the Galapagos Islands: Techno-Economic Perspectives for the Hybrid Renewable Mini-Grid Baltra–Santa Cruz. Sustainability, 12(6), 2282. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062282