The virtual kick-off meeting brought together a total of 25 participants representing the 11 organisations from 7 European countries, forming the project consortium.

ISLANDER will run for the next 4 years, ending in September 2024. The project aims at developing an integrated and efficient central energy management platform in order to manage the various energy assets and balance fluctuations between generation and demand, using local flexibility options such as storage technologies and demand response in combination with renewable energy sources. In addition, an innovative concept for heat supply based on a seawater-powered heat pump and a heat storage tank will be installed in a newly built district close to the port of Borkum. A large hydrogen-based storage will also be deployed. Moreover, a Renewable Energy Community will be created in order to engage the citizens of Borkum and strengthen their participation in the island’s energy transition. These measures will set the course for the creation of a largely carbon-free energy system on the island of Borkum by 2030.

Further, ISLANDER aims to replicate its results to the widest possible adopters. To do so, the project entails a 3-wave replication strategy along with the dissemination measures required to support it:

• First wave replication in Follower Islands in Great Britain, Greece, and Croatia
• Second wave replication in the related archipelagos
• Third-wave replication in other EU islands by means of the cooperation with the European Islands initiatives.

The meeting plays as the starting signal of what it promises to be a quite successful H2020 project. From Idener we cannot wait to embark in this 4-year-long journey with all our partners.