The territory of the island of La Réunion (France), in the Indian Ocean, extends 2.511 km² and includes 840.974 inhabitants. 30% of the electricity requirement comes from renewable sources: 10,4 MW of solar energy is produced through 27.000 photovoltaic modules and greenhouses and 9 MWh of storage.
The island of La Réunion has set an ambitious goal of becoming a zero energy balance island by 2025, particularly challenging target given the high population density. There are several virtuous experiences already operating on the island, for example the project Agrienergie 5, which combines organic agriculture and solar energy. The roofs of 1,3 hectares of greenhouses were solarized with al technology monocrystalline silicon most powerful on the market, capable of producing 2 GWh / year of clean energy.
Another project with a high social content is the one implemented at the Le Port correction center, where the combination of photovoltaic and storage batteries, with the help of an intelligent 24-hour forecasting station, guarantees a stable flow of clean energy. The annual generation covers the needs of 12.000 people, equal to 1/3 of the population of Le Port City. Initiatives that in addition to reducing climate-changing emissions, have significantly increased the jobs on the island.
Finally, in Saint-Pierre, thanks to a platform made up of the University of the Island, local public authority and a shipping company (DCNS), the first conversion of ocean thermal energy (OTEC) non-experimental, a pilot project that represents an international reference point for the energy supply of small islands, based on floating offshore platforms of modest size with reduced environmental impact, without disturbing the landscape and with zero sound and climate-changing emissions.