The energization of a 5 megawatt (MW) solar farm located on 22 acres of lands at Block 43A Parcel 346 in Bodden Town, Grand Cayman in June of 2017 was recorded in history as the first utility-scale grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in the Cayman Islands. It is the result of an expression of… Continue reading Cayman Island’s First Utility-Scale Solar PV Farm
Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), has set an ambitious renewable energy (RE) target of 10% of installed capacity by 2021. This equates to approximately 200 MW given the combined installed capacity of the two islands is over 2000 MW of natural gas based power generation. T&T is the only nation in the western hemisphere, and the second in the world, that generates 100%… Continue reading Weighing in on T&T’s 10% RE Target
The Islands of the Caribbean are known to have some of the highest electricity rates in the world, with the exception of only a few. This is primarily because more than 95 percent of their energy consumption is derived from imported petroleum products. The U.S. Department of Energy and its partners, through the Energy Transition… Continue reading Island Energy Snapshots – the Caribbean
Jamaica is currently leading the English speaking Caribbean in the use of renewable energy (RE) at the commercial level and will probably continue to do so for some time to come. This statement is based in one part on its current installed capacity of 72 Megawatts (MW) and the other on the 78 MW that… Continue reading Companies go Head to Head to Supply RE in Jamaica
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in a ninety four (94) page publication titled "REthink Energy towards a new power system" articulated the point that policies that promote renewable energy can simultaneously address economic, social and environmental objectives. I too share this sentiment. As global warming becomes more apparent, policymakers in the developed world have… Continue reading Can Renewables Address the Economic, Social and Environmental Goals in the Caribbean?
The addition of new generating capacity to Jamaica's electricity grid can be achieved in three ways: 1. the installation of conventional power plants 2. the installation of renewable energy (RE) facilities 3. the installation of co-generation facilities. RE facilities refers to plants in which the source of primary energy continually (naturally) regenerates. Such sources of… Continue reading Jamaica’s Policy for the Addition of Renewable Capacity to Electricity Grid
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in its REmap 2030 report highlighted that "renewable technologies are now the most economic solution for new capacity in an increasing number of countries and regions." This was attributed to the declining cost to deliver electricity from solar photovoltaics (PV), concentrated solar power (CSP) and wind, meanwhile hydropower, biomass… Continue reading Renewable Power is Cost Competitive
Jamaica, the paradise island that is sometimes referred to as “the land of wood and water,” has great hydroelectric potential due primarily to its many rivers, land topography and climate. Out of a list of 120 rivers, the Island has several rivers that are suitable for hydroelectric power generation. Hydroelectric power is power generated from water.… Continue reading Jamaica’s Hydroelectric Potential
