Decarbonisation pathways: a foresight exercise in the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are heavily dependent on fossil fuels which intensifies the need for a decarbonisation pathway by 2050. Our study provides a comprehensive approach to identify possible energy transition pathways in line with different stakeholder perspectives. We conducted two rounds of 16 foresight interviews in the region with stakeholders representing different groups. The first round focused on understanding the current challenges and opportunities of the energy system, while the second round aimed at identifying the overall vision of the stakeholders for their local energy system. We have found that there are still significant regulatory difficulties that hinder implementation of technologies and innovative business models. However, the main challenges highlighted were achieving a transition without energy justice and the lack of collaboration between stakeholders. Different pathways have been identified but all interviewees emphasised that the future energy system needs to be human-centred and support citizen participation, prosumers, and energy communities.