The Norwegian city Harstad participates in the EU Horizon 2020-funded innovative project GIFT (“Geographical Islands FlexibiliTy”). The project aims to decarbonize the energy mix of European islands through holistic energy management, trading, and innovative storage solutions.

Harstad is located in the north part of the island Hinnøya and includes also the south part of Grytøya island. Hinnøya is the specific Norwegian demonstration site in the project. It is Norway's’ largest island with 32.000 inhabitants.

The electricity supply in Harstad is mainly from hydropower with similar prices as the mainland. But the energy supply for transport is from fossil fuel. Moreover, the increasing energy demand requires more imported coal-based electricity, especially in the winter time.

The goal of the GIFT project is to develop innovative, environmentally friendly systems to increase the use of renewable energy on islands. It is a 4-year long project where the partners will develop and demonstrate solutions in two lighthouse islands, one from Norway and one from Italy. The project has received 10 million euros and involved 17 partners.

Keywords: renewable energy, EU, Horizon 2020, Harstad, Hinnøya, Norway