Since 2007, we have provided technical, logistical, and community-outreach support to island communities interested in renewable energy as a way to lower energy costs.

We have assisted the Fox Islands Electric Cooperative in its efforts to develop and operate the 4.5MW Fox Islands Wind project. Commissioned in November 2009, this project has been met with significant levels of community support and has lowered the cost of electricity on Vinalhaven and North Haven.

We have supplied technical support to the Monhegan Plantation Power District, the Swan’s Island Electric Cooperative, and the Matinicus Plantation Electric Company as they explore community-based wind, solar, and microgrid projects.

We have also been supporting local efforts on Star Island in New Hampshire’s Isles of Shoals to install a large-scale photovoltaic and storage system that minimizes the island’s dependence on its diesel generators.

In 2014, the Island Institute and the Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP) launched the Islanded Grid Resource Center, a collaborative initiative that partners with remote communities in Maine, Alaska and other U.S. states and territories to promote fact-based decision making about wind power and other renewable energy sources as a way to lower energy costs.