How much of the islands’ electricity comes from renewable sources?
In 2023, electricity production from renewable sources such as water, wind, and sun amounted to 35 million kWh on Bonaire. On St Eustatius, 5.1 million kWh of renewable electricity was produced and on Saba it was 3.1 million kWh. The production of renewable electricity increased on all three islands in 2023, relative to 2022.
Electricity production from renewable sources increased by 5 percent on Bonaire in 2023 compared with 2022. On St Eustatius and Saba, the production of electricity from renewable sources also increased by 4 percent and 8 percent, respectively.
Most renewable electricity on Bonaire came from wind power
In 2023, total electricity production on Bonaire was 156.2 million kWh, up by 11 percent on 2022. About 22 percent of that (35 million kWh) was renewable.
Almost three-quarters of the renewable electricity generated was produced by wind turbines and 14 percent by solar farms. Another 18 percent was generated by solar panels on the roofs of houses and businesses. The production of electricity from solar power in 2023 was almost 20 times higher than in the previous year, partly due to a new solar farm that began producing electricity in the summer of 2023. Electricity generated from wind power fell by 12 percent.
In 2014, the share of renewable electricity on Bonaire was the highest of all the islands at 41 percent. That was partly due to the number of wind hours, which was higher than it was in other years. In recent years, the share of renewables has varied between 20 and 30 percent. Electricity from renewable sources has been generated on Bonaire since 2007. Since 2016, electricity generated from solar power in particular, has increased as well as wind power.
| Year | Fossil | Wind | Solar farms | Solar panels on buildings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 73.5 | 0.7 | . | . |
| 2008 | 70.8 | 1.4 | . | . |
| 2009 | 73.9 | 1.5 | . | . |
| 2010 | 77.3 | 4.9 | . | . |
| 2011 | 58.8 | 26.3 | . | . |
| 2012 | 58.6 | 32.5 | . | . |
| 2013 | 56.9 | 36.7 | . | . |
| 2014 | 56.1 | 41.2 | . | . |
| 2015 | 63.4 | 40.1 | . | . |
| 2016 | 73.3 | 34.9 | 0.3 | . |
| 2017 | 81.9 | 31.1 | 0.3 | 0.6 |
| 2018 | 76.0 | 36.8 | 0.3 | 1.1 |
| 2019 | 88.1 | 32.2 | 0.3 | 2.1 |
| 2020 | 95.7 | 25.1 | 0.3 | 2.5 |
| 2021 | 101.5 | 28.9 | 0.2 | 3.0 |
| 2022 | 107.3 | 29.6 | 0.2 | 3.7 |
| 2023 | 121.2 | 26.1 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
Solar farm on St Eustatius meets the island’s daytime needs
In 2023, 17.1 million kWh of electricity was produced on St Eustatius. Of this, 5.1 million kWh (30 percent) was renewable.
The solar farm on St Eustatius meets all the island’s electricity needs during the day. In the evening and at night, and during cloudy weather conditions, the system automatically switches to diesel generators to produce electricity.
| Year | Fossil | Renewable (solar farms) |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 11.3 | . |
| 2008 | 11.1 | . |
| 2009 | 11.4 | . |
| 2010 | 12.8 | . |
| 2011 | 12.6 | . |
| 2012 | 13.7 | . |
| 2013 | 13.5 | . |
| 2014 | 13.4 | . |
| 2015 | 13.9 | . |
| 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 |
| 2023 | 12.0 | 5.1 |
Electricity production from renewable sources on Saba increased last year
Total electricity production on Saba was 9.8 million kWh in 2023, 4 percent higher than in 2022. More than a third of total electricity production on Saba (3.1 kWh) came from renewable sources in 2023, up by 8 percent on 2022.
On Saba, electricity from renewable sources is produced by solar farms. Saba now has two solar farms. The first has been operational since February 2018 and the second since February 2019.
| Year | Fossil | Renewable (solar farms) |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 8.10 | . |
| 2008 | 7.73 | . |
| 2009 | 8.33 | . |
| 2010 | 8.87 | . |
| 2011 | 8.75 | . |
| 2012 | 8.95 | . |
| 2013 | 9.16 | . |
| 2014 | 9.26 | . |
| 2015 | 9.38 | . |
| 2016 | 9.57 | 0.09 |
| 2017 | 9.11 | 0.10 |
| 2018 | 7.56 | 1.48 |
| 2019 | 6.93 | 2.39 |
| 2020 | 5.96 | 2.77 |
| 2021 | 5.93 | 3.32 |
| 2022 | 6.56 | 2.85 |
| 2023 | 6.72 | 3.07 |
Source
More information on energy and water connections and production (Dutch only)