Maximising sustainability: Planning and optimisation strategies for achieving 100% renewable energy communities in remote islands - A case study of Corvo Island, Portugal

The development of smart communities in remote regions is often hindered by geographical constraints and challenges in energy access. This study focuses on the development of a novel optimisation model that sizes a 100 % renewable and autonomous smart energy community, in a remote island, which integrates heating, power and water supply. The model considers operational, technical, and geographical constraints and provides a comprehensive approach for energy demand prediction, system design and evaluation. Constrained non-linear optimisation is employed to formulate the problem, and historical weather, load demand, and power and heating generation prices data modelled hourly are used for validation. The approach is applied to Corvo Island, Azores archipelago, Portugal. Results show that developing a renewable-based system with solar thermal-powered heating is Corvo's most cost-competitive decarbonisation alternative (LCOE from €0.2599/kWh to €0.5605/kWh). The renewable-based system with hydrogen-powered heating has LCOE values in the range of €0.35/kWh to €1.06/kWh. This configuration could witness a significant reduction in aggregate costs through the commercialisation of oxygen, a byproduct of the hydrogen generation process. The optimisation model highlights the viability of sustainable energy solutions and guides power designers and decision-makers in fostering smart, resilient communities in remote regions and islands, ensuring sustainability in long-term lifecycles.