Decarbonizing the Galapagos Islands: Techno-Economic Perspectives for the Hybrid Renewable Mini-Grid Baltra–Santa Cruz

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The article is very interesting and presented an impressive study on a business model proposal to achieve resilient energy supply. Authors attempted to include many possible aspects in the direction. But the following corrections should be addressed:

1. List of abbreviation is recommended.
2. Quality of Figures is very poor, especially the block diagram and text in it are not visible. It is expected to redraw such figures.
3. In some tables, headers are not shown appropriately. (eg. Table 5 and 6)
4. Some grammatical and spelling mistakes need to be corrected.

Author Response

Response to Reviewer 1 Comments

The article is very interesting and presented an impressive study on a business model proposal to achieve resilient energy supply. Authors attempted to include many possible aspects in the direction. But the following corrections should be addressed:

Dear reviewer, we appreciate your positive feedback as well as the recognition that this paper includes many possible pathways to achieve resilient energy supply in the Galapagos Islands. We have considered your suggestions to improve the quality of the paper. The responses to your comments are shown below:

 

• Point 1: List of abbreviation is recommended.

Response 1: Following the reviewer’s suggestion, authors have included a list of abbreviations. Then, changes were made from line number 1,263 to 1,265 of the marked-up copy of the original manuscript.

 

• Point 2: Quality of Figures is very poor, especially the block diagram and text in it are not visible. It is expected to redraw such figures.

Response 2: Following the reviewer’s suggestion, authors have redrawn the Figures (from Figure number 2 to Figure number 12) and the graphical abstract included in the manuscript to improve their quality.

So, changes were made from line number 331 to line number 333; from line number 348 to line number 364; from line number 381 to line number 405; from line number 585 to line number 588; from line number 732 to line number 734; from line number 808 to line number 810; from line number 896 to line number 901, and from line number 1,114 to line number 1,118 of the marked-up copy of the original manuscript.

 

• Point 3: In some tables, headers are not shown appropriately. (eg. Table 5 and 6)

Response 3: Following the reviewer’s suggestion, authors have edited all Tables included in the manuscript to guarantee the readability of headers and the content in general.

 

• Point 4: Some grammatical and spelling mistakes need to be corrected.

Response 4: Following the reviewer’s suggestion, we have thoroughly checked the manuscript for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and syntax, and also professional proof-reading service was hired through the MPDI English Editing Service to improve the written style of the manuscript.

 

We appreciate your comments and suggestions.

Thank you for your time and contribution.

Kind regards,

 

Andrea Alejandra Eras Almeida

Corresponding author

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Reduce the number of research questions in the introduction. The second research question as presented is a good objective for the paper. The additional questions can be addressed in the methods and hence results section. 

Figure 1, and 2 do not add any value to the paper. 

The paper is well written and researched. I had expected to see more discussion on the research objective of energy efficiency - there was very little on this point and it would have been a logical part of the RE strategy. Also have the authors considered the likely positive reaction from tourism? That can be a positive part of the arguments for an RE policy development and that can help drive the social awareness that is needed as mentioned by the authors.

Author Response

Response to Reviewer 2 Comments

 

• Point 1: Reduce the number of research questions in the introduction. The second research question as presented is a good objective for the paper. The additional questions can be addressed in the methods and hence results section.

 

Response 1: The authors agree with the reviewer's suggestion. So, the number of research questions has been reduced from 5 to 3 as follows:

Previous text:

• What is the current real cost of electricity supply of Baltra -Santa Cruz?
• What is the techno-economic RE potential of large-scale projects to support the Agenda for Sustainable Development?
• To what extent can energy efficiency support the Agenda for Sustainable Development?
• What is the potential of distributed generation to support the Agenda for Sustainable Development?
• Which business models are needed to support the implementation of new RE capacities and energy efficiency?

 

Current text:

• What is the techno-economic RE potential to support the Agenda for Sustainable Development?
• To what extent can energy efficiency support the Agenda for Sustainable Development?
• Which business models are needed to support the implementation of new RE capacities and energy efficiency?

So, changes have been made from line number 95 to 102 in the marked-up copy of the original manuscript.

Additionally, we have verified that the research questions are addressed in the introduction and the methodology sections. Also, a clarification was introduced in section 3.2, in line number 541 of the marked-up copy of the original manuscript.

 

 

• Point 2: Figure 1, and 2 do not add any value to the paper.

 

Response 2: The authors agree with the reviewer’s suggestion. So, Figure 1 and Figure 2 were removed from the manuscript.

So changes were made from line number 207 to line number 220, and from line number 249 to line number 266 of the marked-up copy of the original manuscript.

 

• Point 3: The paper is well written and researched. I had expected to see more discussion on the research objective of energy efficiency - there was very little on this point and it would have been a logical part of the RE strategy. Also have the authors considered the likely positive reaction from tourism? That can be a positive part of the arguments for an RE policy development and that can help drive the social awareness that is needed as mentioned by the authors.

 

Response 3: Dear reviewer, the authors appreciate your positive feedback about the paper. Following your comments, some explanations are given below:

 

• Regarding your observation about the discussion on energy efficiency and based on the results of section 4.3.1.: “Results of the Energy Efficiency Scenarios”, the following text has been added to strengthen the analysis:

 

“Based on the results, the Ecuadorian government should commit to push and reinforce the implementation of the National Plan for Energy Efficiency. Even though this plan considers the adoption of a building standard, a labeling scheme for energy-efficient appliances, and the standard ISO 50001 [51], the plan lacks a detailed mechanism to disseminate a general awareness about the use of energy and the benefits of RE. Currently, education campaigns focus on the commercial sector [51], while only 35% of residential users relate RE initiatives to environmental care [40]. The Galapagos Islands can learn from successful experiences from Atlantic and Mediterranean small islands to reduce energy consumption and increase RE share [8]. Therefore, the National Plan for Energy Efficiency should be part of a complete package on sustainability, where targets on RE, energy efficiency and reduction in CO₂ emissions are well-integrated”.

 

So, changes were made from line number 821 to 830 in the marked-up copy of the original manuscript.

 

• Regarding your question about the positive reaction of tourism:

 

It is recognized that a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of tourism is relevant in terms of management effectiveness and efficiency on small islands [148,149]. Here, ecotourism, which is conceived for biodiversity preservation by reducing the impact of mass tourism, also implies the adoption of RE technologies for guaranteeing a sustainable energy supply [150,151]. Ecotourism is widely supported by international cooperation and environmental organizations through incentives and funds, which helps to mobilize the tourism market [150]. Similarly, revenues derived from tourism taxes can also support money flow in ecotourism and the quality of the service [152]. Authors [153–156] have asserted that well-informed and environmentally aware tourists are willing to pay an additional fee for environmental conservation actions or to spend in a green hotel equipped with energy saving and RE installations. A previous study showed that, in the Galapagos Islands, visitors are willing to pay an additional fee of $50 USD per visit for a reduction in the carbon footprint [156]. This shows that sustainable actions in tourism-based environments, as in the case of the Galapagos, can generate direct benefits on the tourism sector, the local economy, and environmental protection. Then, the national and local decision-making have the main responsibility to encourage RE investments in the tourism sector via effective policies and business proposals.

 

The reviewer’s comment has been useful to reinforce the section 5 “Business Model Proposal for RE introduction” and the section 6 “Conclusions and Policy Implications” of the research. To do that, authors have revised additional scientific literature to support the response and the strengthening of the aforementioned sections.

 

Additional literature:

 

148. Kurniawan, F.; Adrianto, L.; Bengen, D. G.; Prasetyo, L. B. Vulnerability assessment of small islands to tourism: The case of the Marine Tourism Park of the Gili Matra Islands, Indonesia. Glob. Ecol. Conserv. 2016, 6, 308–326, doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2016.04.001.
149. Nesticò, A.; Maselli, G. Sustainability indicators for the economic evaluation of tourism investments on islands. J. Clean. Prod. 2020, 248, doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119217.
150. Egido-Aguilera, M. Á.; Solórzano, J.; Fernández, M. Towards Energy Sustainability in Ecolodges for Latin America: A case in the Bolivian Amazon. In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on PV-Hybrid and Mini-Grid; Bad Hersfeld, Germany, 2014; pp. 1–6.
151. Michalena, E.; Hills, J.; Amat, J. P. Developing sustainable tourism, using a multicriteria analysis on renewable energy in Mediterranean Islands. Energy Sustain. Dev. 2009, 13, 129–136, doi:10.1016/j.esd.2009.06.001.
152. Soomauroo, Z.; Blechinger, P.; Creutzig, F. Unique Opportunities of Island States to Transition to a Low ‐ Carbon Mobility System. Sustain. 2020, 1–18, doi:10.3390/su12041435.
153. Kostakis, I.; Sardianou, E. Which factors affect the willingness of tourists to pay for renewable energy? Renew. Energy 2012, 38, 169–172, doi:10.1016/j.renene.2011.07.022.
154. Schuhmann, P. W.; Skeete, R.; Waite, R.; Lorde, T.; Bangwayo-Skeete, P.; Oxenford, H. A.; Gill, D.; Moore, W.; Spencer, F. Visitors’ willingness to pay marine conservation fees in Barbados. Tour. Manag. 2019, 71, 315–326, doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2018.10.011.
155. Tsagarakis, K. P.; Bounialetou, F.; Gillas, K.; Profylienou, M.; Pollaki, A.; Zografakis, N. Tourists’ attitudes for selecting accommodation with investments in renewable energy and energy saving systems. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 2011, 15, 1335–1342, doi:10.1016/j.rser.2010.10.009.
156. Powell, R. B.; Ham, S. H. Can ecotourism interpretation really lead to pro-conservation knowledge, attitudes and behaviour? Evidence from the Galapagos Islands. J. Sustain. Tour. 2008, 16, 467–489, doi:10.1080/09669580802154223.

 

So, changes have been made from line number 1,120 to line number 1,121; from line number 1,140 to 1,156, and from 1,239 to 1,241 of the marked-up copy of the original manuscript.

 

Additionally, we would like to indicate that we have thoroughly checked the manuscript for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and syntax, and also professional proof-reading service was hired through the MPDI English Editing Service to improve the written style of the manuscript.

 

We appreciate your recommendations that considerably increases the quality of the paper. We trust that the review will meet your expectations.

Thank you for your time and consideration of our work.

 

Kind regards,

 

Andrea Alejandra Eras Almeida

Corresponding author

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

The reviewer finds this paper quite interesting. In this paper, the authors evaluated the potential of several kinds of renewable energy on the Galapagos archipelago and considered the annual growth of the demand until 2030. Then, they used HOMER to build a hybrid system that is suitable for small, isolated islands and decreases the penetration of diesel generators.
The authors also gave several different electricity demand scenarios considered many technical, socio-economic, environmental, and political constraints that impact on the long-term electrical system expansion. Thus, the results in this paper are meaningful and can be applied in practice.

 

Author Response

Response to Reviewer 3 Comments

 

• Point 1: The reviewer finds this paper quite interesting. In this paper, the authors evaluated the potential of several kinds of renewable energy on the Galapagos archipelago and considered the annual growth of the demand until 2030. Then, they used HOMER to build a hybrid system that is suitable for small, isolated islands and decreases the penetration of diesel generators.

The authors also gave several different electricity demand scenarios considered many technical, socio-economic, environmental, and political constraints that impact on the long-term electrical system expansion. Thus, the results in this paper are meaningful and can be applied in practice.

 

Response 1: We thank the reviewer for the valuable comment. The objective of this study is to contribute to decarbonizing the Galapagos Islands through a comprehensive analysis of the hybrid power system Baltra-Santa Cruz. Thanks for recognizing that the results of this research can be applied in practice.

 

We appreciate your comments and your time dedicated to evaluate this research.

 

Thank you for your contribution.

Kind regards,

 

Andrea Alejandra Eras Almeida

Corresponding author

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf