Guernsey's imported electricity is 100% renewable

Renewable energy
The solar energy came from Normandy, wind energy from Paris and the Loire Valley and hydro from Brittany. Credit: PA Images

All of the electricity imported to Guernsey from France last year was entirely from renewable sources.

It comes after Guernsey Electricity switched to 100% renewable imports.

The company has now received verification of its Guarantees of Origin (GoO) certificate, which shows where in France the electricity was produced over the past 12 months, and whether it is solar, wind or hydroelectricity.

Some of the hydro energy came from Brittany.

The wind energy came from places including Paris and the Loire Valley.

Part of the solar energy came from Normandy.

The remaining on-island demand was topped up by Guernsey's community solar PV arrays and the power station.

A GoO is an electronic certificate issued for every megawatt hour (MWh) of electricity that is generated from renewable sources.

Guernsey Electricity says since the switch "renewable energy from across France has been generated for Guernsey and injected into the European grid, to which the GJ1 subsea cable is connected".

The company adds that the cable "provided more than 93% of our electricity in 2020".

Guernsey Electricity aims to to have an energy system that supports renewables and reduces the reliance on fossil fuels which would see the power station deployed for emergency generation only.

It still plans to have a second, direct cable link to France, which it says would meet approximately 99% of Guernsey's current and future electricity needs and would "dramatically decarbonise our use of energy".