Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to travel to Shanghai to represent the Greening the Islands Foundation at SNEC 2025, the world’s largest trade exhibition and conference dedicated to solar PV and energy storage. It was my first visit to China and I came away deeply impressed – not just by the scale of the event, but by the city’s visible commitment to green infrastructure, electrified mobility and digital integration.
Shanghai, with its 24.8 million inhabitants, is a living demonstration of rapid and coordinated transformation. Over 80% of passenger cars are fully electric, supported by an innovative plate registration system that gives clear advantage to electric vehicles. Green areas are growing across the urban landscape and everyday transactions are streamlined through platforms like Alipay, which integrates mobility, payments and city services seamlessly. It struck me how quickly China is able to deploy solutions at scale, while in Europe we often struggle with the inertia of slower administrative processes and fragmented regulatory frameworks.
SNEC: A Showcase of Industrial Maturity and Technological Progress
SNEC itself left a strong impression, not only because of its scale, but because it reflects a mature and highly interconnected industry. Far beyond the presence of major PV Solar and Energy Storage manufacturers, the exhibition featured the entire industrial value chain: from automation machinery and production components, to sub-components, cooling systems and ancillary technologies that support deployment and scaling. As my colleague Carlo Zuccaro, who has over 30 years of experience in the renewable energy sector, remarked, it’s astonishing how far the industry has come: from the first PV “exhibition” in Italy in the late 1990s, held with just six kiosks in a biergarten, to today’s sprawling multi-pavilion event hosting the world’s leading clean energy players.
Between the trade exhibition and the conference, I had a chance to better understand the technological evolution of both PV systems and energy storage solutions, including innovations in battery cooling options and performance optimization. The conference featured a lineup of influential voices shaping the global energy narrative, including Jifan Gao (Chairman of Trina Solar), Dinesh Dhamija, Sonia Dunlop (CEO of Global Solar Council), Rachel Owens (CEO of Solar Stewardship Initiative) and many others. Their insights underscored the momentum of the sector facing real challenges but actively solving them to push the frontier of global sustainability.
I had the privilege to attend the plenary conference to present – together with Carlo Zuccaro, the early outcomes of GTI Foundation’s work in Curaçao by piloting our 100% RES Islands initiative and replicating and upscaling it in the Pacific.
Curaçao: A Fossil Past, a Renewable Future
Historically an industrial hub dominated by a large oil refinery, Curaçao is rapidly transforming itself into a diversified, service-driven economy. Tourism is surging (+25% year-on-year), and sectors like financial services and data centers are taking hold. At the core of this shift is Aqualectra, the public utility spearheading the country’s transition toward 100% renewable energy.
As highlighted in our presentation at SNEC, Curaçao’s progress is striking:
- From 9% renewable energy penetration in 2012 to over 55% by 2024, despite a growing electricity demand.
- Electricity tariffs have decreased by 15%, enabled by improved efficiency and lowered fuel use.
- A roadmap is in place for further integration of renewables through wind repowering, solar PV, battery energy storage, and the development of smart grids.
One of the most innovative developments is the potential use of floating PV solar in former refinery water basins – an elegant example of land-use repurposing that supports both climate goals and economic revitalization.
Curaçao demonstrates that islands can lead the global energy transition, acting as laboratories of innovation and resilience. But it also reveals common challenges: managing grid stability, aging infrastructure, limited capital expenditure, and regulatory constraints on pricing.
Conclusion
My experience at SNEC 2025 affirmed that the global energy transition is advancing rapidly, but its real impact will be measured not just by scale but by inclusiveness and speed of implementation. Islands, despite their vulnerabilities, have the potential to be first movers in showing the world what a 100% renewable energy future can look like.
With Curaçao setting the pace and the Pacific ready to scale, the GTI Foundation remains committed in bringing together government and utility representatives, global technology leaders, and financing institutions to translate commitments into action to supporting island communities with practical, actionable pathways to sustainability.
Visit: 100% RES Islands Initiative
