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Caribbean Community working to explore alternative forms of renewable energy
Wigton wind farm in Manchester, Jamaica. PHOTO/Jamaica Gleaner
At least 3 Caribbean countries have committed themselves to using renewable sources of energy like wind, solar and the earth’s heat to generate electricity.
St. Lucia, St. Kitts & Nevis, the Turks & Caicos Islands and the British Virgin islands (BVI), Thursday signed a pact that help island-nations implement near-term, demonstrative renewable solutions in schools, hospitals, public transport, tourism and utility scale renewable energy.
The agreement was signed during the meeting organized by the Carbon War Room, a nonprofit organization chaired by Sir Richard Branson, founder and chairman of the Virgin Group.
According to Sir Richard, the island-nations in the Caribbean have extremely high electricity costs and the new renewable projects could help reduce those costs.
“What we hope to do is use Necker as a test island to show how it can be done. The only way we’re going to win this war is by creative entrepreneurship, to make the price of clean energy cheaper than that of energy from fossil fuels.”
Former Costa Rica president, José María Figueres, who is now president of the Carbon War Room, said Caribbean island-nations, like elsewhere, lack access to low-cost power because of the small size of the market.
St. Lucia’s Minister of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology James Fletcher said that St. Lucia has been testing the use of solar on various buildings, but it also plans to explore wind and geothermal development.
“With our economy, with the level of unemployment that we have, if you can create some more green jobs, if you can reduce some of the expenditures that we’re seeing right now, particularly on oil, it would increase the island’s economic competitiveness,” he said.
Both Prime Ministers of St. Lucia and St. Kitts & Nevis – Kenny Anthony and Denzil Douglas, are attending the meeting. -(CMC)