Renewable Energy Space Analytics Tool (RE-SAT)

UK - Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)

The RE-SAT project is delivering an energy analytics platform to equip Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) with appropriate information, products and modelling tools to support their transition from fossil fuel electricity generation to renewables. For SIDS, the economic imperative is to mitigate the financial risk of over reliance on fossil fuels. The RE-SAT platform provides advanced data analytics to help energy planners and investors where to locate renewable energy assets in order to optimise the amount of renewable energy generated, minimise their environmental impact and maximise the return on investment. SIDS have enormous potential to be energyindependent due to their natural renewable energy (RE) resources. To date however, many SIDS have insufficient in-situ environmental data and rely on incomplete records or limited time-series data to plan their RE strategy. This leads to overly conservative estimates of the available renewable potential and a greater reliance on traditional (fossil fuel) generation mechanisms to meet demand. To overcome this data gap and to support SIDS to improve their strategic RE planning, RE-SAT is using earth observations and other sources of environmental data to support decision-making regarding the feasibility and location of RE systems. RE-SAT is offering SIDS a powerful software application that will: • Improve RE strategic planning though high resolution power estimates; • Support the siting of new RE assets, taking into account environmental variables and historic weather patterns; • Save money on redundant infrastructure by sizing schemes more accurately; • Increase productivity through smarter working using the online data repository to share relevant energy documentation with key stakeholders; and • Increase the chance of investment in new renewable energy infrastructure through more accurate energy projections. RE-SAT has already delivered a successful proof-ofconcept energy-planning platform in collaboration with the Government of Seychelles and is working with Mauritius, St Lucia, Montserrat, Tonga, Vanuatu and Palau to scale-up the concept.