Dissemination

The LIGHTEN-IO project aims to deliver concrete, reusable outputs with strong scientific and territorial impact across the SWIO region.

The main expected outcomes are:

• An open, interoperable database: collection, harmonisation and distribution of a significant volume of climate, meteorological and energy data through a THREDDS Data Server, accompanied by enriched metadata and a data management plan. This resource will provide a valuable asset for the scientific community and energy-transition stakeholders across the South-West Indian Ocean.
• A deep-learning-based statistical downscaling tool: development of a pipeline using U-Net architectures, enabling the generation of regionalised climate projections at high spatial resolution with lower computational cost compared to traditional dynamical downscaling approaches. The source code will be released as open source to foster reproducibility and replicability to other island regions facing similar challenges.
• Territorialised energy and decarbonisation scenarios: assessment of green hydrogen production potential across SWIO territories, analysis of climate change impacts on renewable resources, and development of sectoral decarbonisation scenarios designed to inform public policy.
• Scientific advances and regional outreach: publication of scientific articles (statistical downscaling, green hydrogen potential, decarbonisation scenarios), organisation of two thematic conferences, and delivery of a final seminar. These outputs will strengthen ENERGY-Lab’s positioning as a regional hub on green hydrogen issues in insular environments.
• Capacity building and regional structuring: cross-training between partners (LSCE, IEK-3/Jülich), workshops in target territories, and the establishment of shared regional governance. In doing so, the project transforms a still-blurred regional vision into a precise, operational local strategy for the deployment of the green hydrogen value chain.

Through these deliverables, LIGHTEN-IO will contribute to reducing the cost of access to strategic climate information, assessing the viability of green hydrogen as a regional energy carrier, and enhancing the energy resilience of the island territories of the South-West Indian Ocean.