Abstract
The Guadeloupe archipelago, situated in the eastern Caribbean Sea with a population of approximately 400,000 inhabitants, faces distinctive challenges in realizing a sustainable and resilient energy transition owing to its nature being a distributed island system. These unique challenges include the absence of energy interconnections, limited domestic energy resources, substantial dependence on fossil fuels, and considerable load variance. These factors necessitate specialized attention in the study and analysis of the energy system transition. In this study, the authors initially delineate storylines tailored to the specific requirements of Guadeloupe's energy system, with a primary focus on the reliance on fossil fuel imports. Two distinct energy transition roads, aiming for self-sufficiency and independence for Guadeloupe by 2040 and 2050, are established. Leveraging an advanced open-source investment and dispatch tool, the Global Energy System Model (GENeSYS-MOD), these storylines are implemented to ascertain the least-cost, sustainable, and resilient energy transition for the Guadeloupe archipelago. The ensuing results are comprehensively analyzed to offer insights into Guadeloupe's trajectory towards a sustainable energy system, comparing the proposed energy transition roads for achieving sustainability. The findings reveal that substantial investments in wind and photovoltaic power plants, coupled with electricity storage devices, are imperative for achieving energy independence in the future. Additionally, the availability of biomass emerges as a crucial factor facilitating a seamless transition across all sectors, encompassing power, heat, and transportation.