Towards Islands of Sustainability: Energy Self Supply for the Tourism Island of Spiekeroog in 2030

Abstract: The main sustainability goal of many small islands in the North Sea is to become self supplied in renewable energy in 20-30 years. The majority of the islands are trying to repeat Samsø‘s success – to make a transition towards energy sustainable system by new energy production from local renewable sources such as wind, solar and biomass. However, for other islands like Spiekeroog island, a tourist destination, this transition pathway cannot be applied due to many local policy restrictions, physical limitations and residents‘ sensitivities. The current research is aiming to generate a roadmap towards energy self-sufficiency in another way – by large reductions of electricity consumption. The core of the research uses the backcasting approach to generate future visions and scenarios in order to explore possible and desirable sustainable futures and identify necessary steps to achieve the one most preferred by the majority of local stakeholders. To frame the roadmap, the barriers, drivers and current Spiekeroog conditions for transition are analysed and possible actions are suggested. Finally, the roadmap and recommendations on how to facilitate the transition are presented.