How does community energy impact life from an SDG perspective?

Abstract Background Islands present favorable conditions for testing new energy interventions due to their small-scale energy systems and distinct socio-spatial characteristics. These conditions position community-centered energy initiatives as potential catalysts for social innovation that can advance the local energy transition and generate spillover effects across other fields of sustainable development. This study examines perceived sustainability outcomes beyond energy access across four community-based interventions on Mayotte, exploring potential cross-dimensional spillover effects. It also evaluates the suitability of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework for assessing the broader impacts of community-driven small-scale energy interventions. Results Using qualitative key informant interviews across four community-based energy interventions, the assessment reveals multiple perceived positive spillover effects beyond energy access, while only few negative impacts were reported. Respondents particularly highlighted synergies with SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). Furthermore, the SDG framework proved useful for structuring diverse impacts, while also revealing challenges in contextualizing indicators at the community scale. Conclusions The findings suggest that community-based energy interventions can generate multidimensional sustainability outcomes when locally embedded. The SDGs offer a valuable framework for capturing such impacts, but their effective application requires time-intensive methods to provide meaningful results. The study contributes to discussions on the potential of islands as contexts for socially innovative energy transitions. However, the findings should be interpreted with caution due to methodological limitations, including small sample sizes, project-specific contexts, and the absence of end-user perspectives.