Santa Cruz, Galapagos: Strategy to transform the energy matrix into 100% renewable by 2030

The dependence on fossil fuels to meet energy needs in isolated places has been notorious in most of the communities with these characteristics, especially in the islands. The use of diesel and other petroleum derivatives is a major environmental challenge and a high risk to the abundant biodiversity of the site, especially if it is a World Heritage Site. This paper shows success stories of similar sites where a transition towards using 100% renewable sources took place by taking advantage of available resources such as solar photovoltaic and wind energy. The paper reviews the current energy matrix, composed of diesel generators, solar panels and off-grid wind generators. The authors propose to supply Santa Cruz Island with clean energy in its entirety by the year 2030, replacing fossil fuels that today represent 94.98% of the energy matrix; the proposal uses EnergyPLAN software resulting in a new energy matrix composed of 18.1 MW from solar panels and 4.75 MW from wind turbines. The potential capacity of each source is analyzed, and the challenges involved in the energy transition are discussed, concluding that the proposal is viable and is also crucial for the conservation of the species and of the island, which is one of the world's favorite destinations.