SUMMARYIt has long been contended by people working in the oil industry that there can be no such thing as a 'national' energy policy; that energy policy can only be an international affair. This paper shows that small (densely populated) islands can provide some isolation for themselves from the vagaries of such international oil markets. It provides a systemic insight into the small island energy problem, and takes the case of the Channel Island of Guernsey as an example.It discusses various approaches to the island energy problem and uses a Soft Systems Methodology (SSM). The work is overlaid onto a 'quality, quantity and timing template' approach to energy planning and indicates that distributed cogeneration would significantly lessen dependence on oil imports; but the focus needs to be on energy service needs rather than the present 'prepared' energy fuels.It indicates that modular cogeneration technologies, geographically dispersed but electrically interconnected, need to be at the heart of the strategy. Which runs counter to much current public energy policy in relation to utilities and supply-demand relationships.
SUMMARYSince the first oil shock in 1973, many small islands have not assessed the strategic implications of dependence on oil imports, and have not opted to interfere in their own energy markets. This paper considers the notion of different levels of energy service delivery (by concentrating on local suitability), based on research relating to the Channel Island of Guernsey, and shows that significant energy savings are available. For this energy service delivery approach to be put into effect this paper suggests that a move away from the present laissez-faire supply-based stance will be necessary. Distributed cogeneration is considered in a case situation (using techniques that no small island currently employs) and shows strategic energy conservation solutions to questions no one has yet seriously asked.
SUMMARYResearch on the Channel Island of Guernsey has shown that the notion of dispersing the power and energy base on small islands should be seriously considered. The paper is not an attack on small island electricity utilities but questions the present way of doing things. Instead of continuing the present centralised development path on small islands, distributed energy planning is a powerful instrument in re-directing future development towards a reduction in waste, rather than increasing it.
SUMMARYThe present centralised approach on very small islands does little to advance any kind of coordinated strategy for rationalising demand and factors of energy supply; the end-users are left to their own devices with little or no real sense of direction. This paper questions the current energy systems on such islands, and takes the Channel Island of Guernsey as a case situation, and suggests that by changing the system a net 'gain' of value may result.Great care needs to be exercised when making comparisons between the cost of centralised generation and the cost of alternative generation; centralised utility cost disclosures usually enjoy the benefit of substantial written down capital investment. A more appropriate comparison would be between the cost of new centralised power generation plant and the alternative methods of generation, which are also new. The question of occupacity, and whether the generator is a prime base-load supplier or not, also creates 'unfair' cost comparisons at times, and many false economics exist on this basis. This paper uses diurnal simulation of demand to bring clarity to these issues.
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