Has electricity production from renewable sources increased?
In 2022, electricity production from renewable sources on St Eustatius and Saba increased considerably compared to 2016, when it first started. St Eustatius managed to double its renewable electricity production, while on Saba it increased almost thirty-fold. Bonaire has a longer track record when it comes to generating electricity from renewable sources. At the same time, renewable electricity production increased less rapidly there.
Electricity production on St Eustatius amounted to 16.4 million kWh in 2022. Renewable electricity accounted for 4.7 million kWh (28 percent). This was 2.3 kWh in 2016. In 2022, renewable electricity production decreased by 10 percent year on year. In 2018, the share of renewable electricity peaked at 45 percent. This electricity was mainly produced using solar panels. Solar power generation began in 2016 with the first phase of a solar farm. The second phase was completed in November 2017 and increased solar energy production on the island significantly.
Solar farm on St Eustatius meets daytime needs
The solar farm on St Eustatius meets the island’s entire electricity demand during the day. In the evening and at night, and when weather conditions are unfavourable (such as cloudy weather), the system automatically switches to diesel generators for electricity production.
| Jaartal | Fossil | Renewable |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 11.6 | 2.3 |
| 2017 | 10.2 | 3.8 |
| 2018 | 7.8 | 6.5 |
| 2019 | 8.7 | 6.3 |
| 2020 | 10.4 | 4.8 |
| 2021 | 11.1 | 5.2 |
| 2022 | 11.7 | 4.7 |
Renewable electricity production declined on Saba last year
Electricity production on Saba amounted to 9.4 million kWh in 2022. 2.9 million kWh was renewable, 14 percent less than in the previous year. In 2016, 0.1 kWh of the generated electricity was renewable. In total, 30 percent of Saba’s electricity production came from renewable sources in 2022 – primarily from solar farms.
Saba currently has two solar farms. The first became operational in February 2018 and the second in February 2019.
| Jaartal | Fossil | Renewable |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 9.6 | 0.1 |
| 2017 | 9.1 | 0.1 |
| 2018 | 7.6 | 1.5 |
| 2019 | 6.9 | 2.4 |
| 2020 | 6.0 | 2.8 |
| 2021 | 5.9 | 3.3 |
| 2022 | 6.6 | 2.9 |
Most renewable electricity on Bonaire produced by wind power
Bonaire has been producing electricity from renewable sources since 2007. In 2022, electricity production on Bonaire amounted to 137.1 million kWh. 29.8 million kWh (22 percent) was renewable. Compared to the previous year, production increased slightly (by 2 percent) in 2022. Unlike the other islands, almost all renewable electricity (99 percent) is generated using wind turbines. The remaining percent was provided by solar panels.
The share of renewable electricity on Bonaire peaked in 2014, at 42 percent. It was between 20 and 30 percent in the years that followed.
| Jaartal | Fossil | Renewable |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 73.3 | 35.1 |
| 2017 | 81.9 | 31.5 |
| 2018 | 76.0 | 37.1 |
| 2019 | 88.1 | 32.5 |
| 2020 | 95.7 | 25.4 |
| 2021 | 101.5 | 29.2 |
| 2022 | 107.3 | 29.8 |
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