Oh, you cannot be serious. Generator. Wind power. Solar. This is increasingly easy to provide on a small scale in the middle of nowhere.
Not sure about wind on that island either.
Poverty is often very expensive and often involves the cheapest upfront cost but frequently leads to high lifetime costs. So I think your argument is ridiculous. Energy independence is often more about mindset and lifestyle choices than budget. I hsbe never been in a position to pursue it, but I never viewed that as being about dollar cost per se.