Persuading people to consider the future is one of the challenging yet motivating parts of my job, particularly when it comes to decarbonisation, infrastructure investment, and the way Guernsey produces and uses energy.
My mind needs to be several steps ahead much of the time; what works today could be old hat tomorrow. Without knowing what technology, policies or people will be taking centre stage tomorrow, my job is about working with others to best navigate a path that benefits the future of our island home today.
What’s the plan for Guernsey’s Electricity?
In September 2023, the States of Guernsey approved a strategy designed to take the next important step in our island’s energy and electricity history.
It had many facets, but crucial to our island’s future are:
Enhanced energy security
- Adding a second subsea cable (or ‘interconnector’) linking Guernsey to the European grid
- Ensuring we still have local power supply for top-up and back-up
- Upgrading and developing the electricity network to meet an ever increasing demand
- Maintain and support the grid so it continues to power our modern lives 24/7
‘The electricity strategy includes adding more local renewable energy sources to Guernsey’s power mix using solar panels and exploring offshore wind opportunities’
Products and services
- Provide customers with a choice of available energy options
- Support the further electrification of heat and transport Facilitate on-island renewables
- Solar panel (or ‘photovoltaics’ – PV) installations
- Potential States of Guernsey offshore wind farm development
With this decision, Guernsey Electricity now has the greenlight to further enhance our own strategy and put together the tactics needed to see the SoG’s ‘Electricity Strategy’ come to life. But what does this mean for the everyday lives of islanders?
Community involvement in energy choices
Following the strategy’s approval, I was tasked with helping Guernsey Electricity’s board and senior decision makers to plan a vision that would help deliver it. Our ‘Strategic Vision 2035’ included the potential for future community participation in discussions about how our island uses energy. This means there’s potential to help influence how Guernsey approaches energy challenges to make sure proposed solutions support our island’s wellbeing.
Cleaner, more reliable energy
Since 2000, we’ve been importing electricity from the European grid via Jersey through the subsea cable, Guernsey-Jersey 1 (GJ1). This source of power brought Guernsey’s carbon emissions down by 38% and became the single biggest reduction to our island’s carbon footprint on 1990s levels.
It meant our fossil-fuel power station need only be used as a ‘top up’ and ‘back-up’ system, rather than the single power source it once was. Today, this cable continues to provide around 90% of all our electricity needs.
By 2035, Guernsey aims to have two undersea cables connecting us to Europe. With direct access to large scale low-carbon sources such as hydropower, wind, solar – as well as nuclear energy – we can reduce our reliance on fossil-fuels even further, providing a steady and secure flow of low-carbon, affordable electricity.
Supporting local renewables
The Electricity Strategy includes adding more local renewable energy sources to Guernsey’s power mix using solar panels and exploring offshore wind opportunities.
Tidal power is also an oft-discussed theme during many panel debates. We monitor this, but at the moment the cost is still too high for commercial-scale use – and would significantly increase electricity tariffs. But there is a potential pathway on the horizon.
In the meantime, we can focus our energy on our other natural resources.
Electric alternatives
You’ll notice that electricity is the key that unlocks almost everything, so it was only a matter of time before heating and transport followed suit.
You don’t vacuum your house, brush your teeth or dry your hair with a device that burns fuel and produces indoor exhaust fumes, and many people feel the same about our outdoors too.
As the world transitions away from fossil-fuels to a landscape where electric-powered heating and transport are normal, Guernsey Electricity’s assets, plans and people will be the backbone that keeps modern life in motion.
Demand for electricity is predicted to grow, so we need to find ways to make sure we can meet and manage this rising demand.
Smarter energy management
The only constant is change – particularly when it comes to technology. As it develops, you’ll enjoy more control over your energy consumption using digital tools and have a better understanding of how energy choices affect island life.
‘With direct access to large-scale low carbon sources such as hydropower, wind, solar – as well as nuclear energy – we can reduce our reliance on fossil fuels even further, providing a steady and secure flow of low carbon, affordable electricity’
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