WATCH: Imported power was all from renewables
ALL the electricity imported from France last year was from renewable sources, Guernsey Electricity has announced.
The company has received verification in the form of Guarantees of Origin certificates, which show that of the imported power, 58% was generated by hydro, 19% solar and 23 % wind.
GE switched to 100% renewables a year ago and the electronic GoO certificate is issued for every megawatt hour (MWh) of electricity that has come from renewable sources.
They also show which region these have come from, for instance solar energy from Normandy, wind energy from Paris and the Loire Valley and hydro from Brittany. This power has all been injected into the European grid, which GE accesses via the GJ1 subsea cable.
‘We have always received certificates to provide us and our customers with assurance of the source of imported electricity,' said GE's chief executive officer Alan Bates.
'Last year, we switched these to ensure that the same amount of electricity we take from the European grid is generated purely from renewable sources.
‘The cable provided more than 93% of our electricity in 2020 and our on-island, community solar PV arrays are also making a positive, low carbon contribution to our total energy needs.’
The other 7% of electricity was topped up by both on-island community solar PV arrays and the power station, he said.
‘We hope this provides islanders with the confidence that the electricity they have been using is helping decarbonise our island and protect our environment,' said Mr Bates.
He said that this was another step in understanding how Guernsey Electricity is helping to fulfil the States' Energy Policy, which committed the island to becoming net zero by 2050.
GE's long-term strategy is to have an energy system which supports renewables and reduces the reliance on fossil fuels, and would lead to the power station being used for emergencies only.
It is also planning for a second, direct cable link to France and this will allow it to meet about 99% of the island's electricity needs and at the same time decarbonise Guernsey's use of energy dramatically.
The second cable would also enable the development of local, community scale, renewable technologies and electricity storage.
GE has produced an animation showing where the island's imported electricity came from last year:
