Technology Assessment and Selection of Renewable Energy Sources in the Galapagos Islands - Ecuador

The Galapagos Islands are known throughout the world for their scientific importance, wildlife, beautiful scenery, tourism and fragile environment. Today, the islands depend on diesel to produce electricity. The use of diesel could cause serious problems to the environment, as oil spills had happen in the past. This is a subject that needs to be addressed especially because of the nature of these islands. Furthermore, the current production does not cover the electricity demand of the islands. The objective of this paper is to assess and select an environmentally-friendly renewable energy solution that will replace or at least reduce the load of diesel generators currently used. This paper provides background information and the electrical condition of the main islands as well as the candidate technologies. Furthermore, the renewable energy resources considered are: Hydro, Geothermal, Solar, and Wind energy. Finally, the methodology selected for conducting this study is Pairwise comparison; and the model is based on concepts well established in the literature as well as expert judgment.