Interconnections and Islands

Abstract

The goal of this chapter is to present the current state and technologies with regards to interconnections of islands to the mainland or between islands. The majority of islands interconnections have been recorded in Asia, although the longest projects are found in Europe. In Asia, the islands are usually located close to the shore 10-55 km or in island complexes such as Indonesia and Philippines where the enhancement of the national grids through interconnections with then neighboring islands is relatively easy achieved through short HVAC links. In Europe, longer projects are observed exceeding the 400 km mainly in the Mediterranean basin, while the new HVDC interconnections are expected to reach even longer lengths. In North America, only a few island interconnections have been implemented in close distances from the shore. The main driver to interconnect islands has been principally the requirement to access cheap energy sources usually located in the mainland.