'Understanding energy islands through the island-ness lens' with Prof Yael Parag скачать в хорошем качестве

'Understanding energy islands through the island-ness lens' with Prof Yael Parag

Energy systems are often defined by their physical boundaries and framed as either connected (interconnected grids) or isolated (energy islands). Yet this binary view obscures how energy systems actually operate and are governed. To move beyond this limitation, the concept of “island-ness” is introduced as a socio-technical analytical lens that captures varying degrees of isolation and connectedness across diverse systems — from spacecraft, energy communities, and microgrids to geographically bounded islands and nation-states. Rather than treating islands as fixed categories, this lens reveals how factors such as infrastructure design, governance arrangements, operational practices, resource dependencies, and collective perceptions combine to produce different forms and degrees of island-ness. Attention then turns to the motivations that drive systems toward greater isolation or stronger connectivity, and to how these drivers both shape and are shaped by island-ness. Motivations emerge from concerns over energy security and independence, climate goals, economic and technical constraints, ideological preferences, and broader geopolitical conditions. Together, these factors influence infrastructure choices, governance arrangements, operational practices, and economic performance. As technologies evolve, ideologies shift, and geopolitical contexts change, the degree and character of island-ness evolve as well. Comparative case studies demonstrate how different combinations of motivations and changing conditions generate distinct configurations of island-ness. The discussion concludes with the case of Montserrat, a Caribbean island where recognising island-ness helps clarify both vulnerabilities and opportunities. The case shows why analysing energy systems in isolation is insufficient and highlights the need to consider links with other critical infrastructures through the co-location and co-design of water, sewage, and energy microgrids. At the same time, islands are embedded in wider geographical and social contexts, where regional exchange, cooperation, and shared identity shape opportunities and resilience. Viewed through this lens, islands emerge not as fixed entities but as dynamic configurations whose degree of island-ness changes over time.