Sustainable Energy & Development News VOL.1 APRIL 2015
THE MONTHLY REVIEW OF SUSTAINABLE ENERGY & DEVELOPMENT NEWS IN THE CARIBBEAN FROM THE REGION”S LEADING INFORMATION PLATFORMS
This publication is prepared by the Caribbean Energy Information System
What’s Happening Across The Region...
Mercurius Capital Plans $300 Million Fund For Caribbean Solar Power Projects Singapore-based investment firm Mercurius Capital is set to explore opportunities in the untapped solar power market of the Caribbean and is planning to launch a private equity fund for the same. Read more Water Security In 5 Years Water supply for the 660,000-plus people in the Kingston Metropolitan Area, served in part by Hope River in St Andrew and Yallahs River in St Thomas, should improve incrementally over the next five years. Read more World Green Economy Summit 2015 By working to become a long-term development platform, WGES 2015 will assist in establishing Dubai as “The Capital of the Green Economy”. Those attending will have the opportunity to become part of an exclusive network... Read more
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Island Energy Transitions Pathways For Accelerated Uptake of Renewables April 8-9, 2015 Martinique 2015 ACEEE Energy Efficiency Finance Forum May 31, 2015 - June 2, 2015 San Francisco Marriott Marquis San Francisco, CA International Energy Workshop (IEW) June 3-5, 2015 Abu Dhabi, UAE Jamaica Alternative Energy Expo (JAEE) June 29-30, 2015 Jamaica Pegasus Hotel Kingston, Jamaica
30-043-2015 || About RE4TT - Renewable Energy RE4TT” is a project developed by a team of Renewable Energy young professionals of CleanTech Limited. The purpose of this project is to promote renewable energy use in the hospitality and entertainment industry in Trinidad and Tobago. Research has shown that the commercial sector has contributed considerably to greenhouse gas emissions, therefore this project was initiated in an effort to reduce negative impacts on the environment. CleanTech Limited was established in 2005 by a group of seasoned ... Read more 27-04-2015 || Obama Pledges Effort to Fight Energy Cost in Caribbean During a trip to Jamaica on April 9, President Obama announced various efforts to encourage the development of low-carbon energy sources in the Caribbean. Obama said that moving Caribbean countries toward clean energy is a priority in the United States’ relations with those countries. “This region has some of the highest energy costs in the world,” the president said in a speech to the Caribbean Community, or CARICOM, a coalition of the region’s nations, The Hill reported. The US is also ... Read more 27-04-2015 || Kimroy Bailey - Creating Energy For The Future While most persons spend their days in an office sitting around a desk, Kimroy Bailey is suspended 160 feet in the air. “It is a remarkable feeling as the wind kisses your face and safety equipment hugs your body, and the world below looks like toys on a playground”, Bailey said, expressing his love for his job to Flair. Bailey is not a construction worker; he is a wind turbine engineer at Wigton Windfarm in St Elizabeth. When Bailey is not up on the turbines, he’s working as a roboticist at Kimroy Bailey Robotics Company, or with the Kimroy Bailey Foundation. Growing up in ... Read more 24-04-2015 || Central America and Caribbean To Spend $3.3 Billion On Smart Grid Infrastructure By 2025 Region looks to smart grid to incorporate renewables, reduce electricity theft and lower tariffs. Central America and the Caribbean will invest $3.3bn in smart grid infrastructure over the period 2015-2025. This investment will help lower the region’s high cost of electricity by incorporating renewable resources and reducing rampant electricity theft. At 19.8 cents per kWh, the average residential tariff in Central America and the Caribbean... Read more
REPORTS World Energy Scenarios: Composing Energy Futures To 2050 Sustainable Energy and its Use Challenges to Renewable Energy in the Caribbean Jamaica Sustainable Energy Roadmap: Pathways To An Affordable, Reliable, Low-Emission Electricity System Climatescope 2014 : New Frontiers for Low-Carbon Energy Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean
DOCUMENTS National Energy Plan - Final Draft Commonwealth of Dominica Sustainable Energy Plan - Final Draft - Commonwealth of Dominica Jamaica Public Service Company Limited Standard Offer Contract for the Purchase of As-Available Intermittent Energy from Renewable Energy Facilities up to 100kW - May 2012 JPS Amended and Restated All-Island Electric Licence 2011 The Changing Energy Landscape in the Caribbean 1999 - 2008 (10 Years Impact Assessment Report) Available at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) A New Paradigm for Caribbean Development: Transitioning to a Green Economy
23-04-2015 || Princeton Power’s Solar Microgrids Provide Economic and Health Benefits to Developing Island Nations Like many nations in the Caribbean, Cuba has a stated goal of developing renewable energy sources and reducing its reliance on imported fuel,” Hammell said. “Princeton Power Systems was invited to Cuba to learn about opportunities and to discuss distributed solar and energy storage technologies that could play a significant role in Cuba’s ...Read more 20-04-2015 || Viva Resorts Installs Solar Power Plant in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic.- The hospitality group Viva Wyndham Resorts installed a 210 kw /hour solar power plant at Cosón beach in Las Terrenas, Samana (east) to supply energy to its properties and to help develop the area. The company Soventix Caribbean SRL, a solar Dominican Republic projects leader, installed the. Read more 20-04-2015 ||Agree on One Reenewable Plan Since German University Professor Olav Hohmeyer introduced the idea of a 100 per cent renewable energy plan for Barbados there has been lots of interest in a significant increase of penetration in renewable energy for the island. There are now two other proposals for a 100 per cent renewable Barbados with diverging views on how to accomplish this, one from Emera Caribbean and one from Viking Development Group. Read more 17-04-2015 || St. Lucia Installs Test Tower for Potential Wind Farm Castries, St Lucia - St.Lucia is embarking on its first renewable energy project with the construction of a test tower that will assess the potential for a 12 megawatt wind farm on the country’s east coast . The project is being undertaken by the government in collaboration with electricity generating company LUCELEC and WindTex Energy, a US-based company. A government announcement noted that in... Read more 14-04-2015 || St Lucia Begins Geothermal Energy Exploration St. Lucia has launched scientific investigations as it looks to determine the possibility of developing geothermal energy on the island, the government said this week. The country’s Ministry of Sustainable Development has completed the first leg of aerial and ground surveys of proposed geothermal sites. They are the first in a series of five planned general surveys set to be conducted under assistance from the government of New ... Read more 10-04-2015 || Energy Policy: The U.S. opportunity in Cuba Since President Obama said he would try to undo the 50-year-old economic lockdown on Cuba, many have speculated on how it could galvanize industries from tourism to telecommunications. But how about the energy sector? Experts say the end of trade restrictions could mean a sizable new market, only 90 miles away, for all sorts of supplies and services from the United States’ energy industries. They encompass offshore oil exploration to natural gas turbines to electric infrastructure to solar ... Read more 10-04-2015 ||Grace Kennedy to Invest $215M in Renewable Energy Grace Kennedy (GK) Group plans on investing roughly $215-million into the implementation of five renewable energy projects by the end of the year. The announcement, which was made by Group CEO Don Wehby last month, follows concerns within the GraceKennedy factories about the high cost of some productive inputs including energy and other utilities. The planned projects are expected to save the company up to ... Read more
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10-04-2015 || “Protect Your Biodiversity” St. John, Antigua - Richard Huber is chief of the Sustainable Communities, Hazard Risk, and Climate Change Section of the Department of Sustainable Development of the Organisation of American States (OAS). Its objective? Foster resilient, more sustainable cities – reducing, for example, consumption of water and energy – while simultaneously improving the quality of life and the participation of the community. Mandeville, Manchester. On a recent visit to Antigua, IPS correspondent Desmond Brown sat down with Huber to discuss renewable energy and energy efficiency. Excerpts from the interview follow. Read more 9-04-2015 || Will the Caribbean Become the Next Hotbed for Renewable Energy? Caribbean islands, with sky-high electricity prices and abundant solar and wind, are a natural home for solar and wind power. Will low oil prices slow their race to a clean energy future? These islands are known for their tranquil, sunny landscapes and natural beauty. However, they also face a dirty reality: According to Rocky Mountain Institute, most of them get 90 to 100 percent of their electricity from diesel ... Read more 8-04-2015 || Solar Panel Prices Down 80 Percent The speed of implementation of solar-PV projects surpasses all other competing power technologies, bar none. (Inset) David Cooke. WHY solar? The simple answer: solar-photovoltaic (solar-PV) is now the least expensive way of providing electricity for your home or business. It’s cheaper than the fossil-fuel based energy supplied by Jamaica Public Service (JPS), cheaper than coal or natural gas, even cheaper than hydro or nuclear or small wind turbines. It is also convenient as it... Read more 3-04-2015 || The Bahamas Boosting Solar The Government of the the Bahamas has announced it will be developing more than 20 MW of solar power generation across its outer islands, also known as the Family Islands. During a recent meeting with representatives from the Carbon War Room (CWR) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Bahamian ... Read more 1-04-2015 || New Energy Start-up to Raise $450m on JSE The Caribbean Energy Finance Company Ltd (CEFC) is set to become the first renewable energy finance company to hit the stock market, not just in Jamaica but anywhere in the Caribbean, and it is aiming to attract as many small investors as possible. The company already has $50 million on its balance sheet from private investors, but is looking to raise another $450 million via the Junior Market of the ...Read more 1-04-2015 || Regulator Approves Growth in CORE Power (CNS Business): The Electricity Regulatory Authority has approved an extension in the capacity of the consumer-owned renewable energy generation programme, known as CORE by 1MW and extended the contracts to 25 years. The ERA and Caribbean Utilities Company said the growth of the programme, which allows CUC customers... Read more 1-04-2015 || CUC Expands Renewable Energy Program Caribbean Utilities Company has announced an increase from 3 megawatts to 4 megawatts in the amount of renewable energy it will accept on the national grid from Consumer-Owned Renewable Energy installations, causing some concern that the move may damage the solar energy industry. In a complex arrangement, both CUC and its Electricity Regulatory Authority overseer said Tuesday... Read more
APRIL 2015 IN REVIEW
BE IN THE KNOW ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY, ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE 29-04-2015 || Belize, Climate Change Drives Coastal Management The Belize Marine Conservation and Climate Adaptation Project (MCCAP) has dual goals: putting in place structures to ensure continued protection for marine protected areas, and ensuring that those who benefit from use and enjoyment of those areas are educated on the dangers of climate change and given means of sustaining their lifestyles without ...Read more
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25-04-2015 || US$3.9 Million Watershed Project Launched The Government has launched a US$3.9 million project to protect the Yallahs and Hope River areas from degradation, and improve water resource management. The five-year project, which is funded by the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), through the Global Environment Facility will also seek to achieve institutional strengthening and capacity building for integrating biodiversity into watershed ... Read more 27-04-2015 || Climate change’s Impact on Extreme Weather Qantified If climate change was a game, we’d have racked up quite a score. A fresh study suggests that humans are responsible for a hefty number of today’s extreme hot days and rainstorms. Weather extremes, such as a Russian heatwave in 2010 and a drought in Texas in 2011, have been blamed on climate change before, but the atribution of individual events...Read more 22-04-2015 || The Tryall Club: Green Leader in Jamaica and the Caribbean Los Angeles, California - Since June 2010, The Tryall Club, Montego Bay, Jamaica has been a Green Globe Certified resort and ranks among the top Green Globe members in the Caribbean with a rating of 82%. Shaku Ramcharan is the Environmental and Conservation Manager at The Tryall Club and oversees the wealth of activities that sustains therir ...Read more
BE IN THE KNOW ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY, ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE & renewable energy
Content Administrator, CIPORE Caribbean Energy Information System (CEIS), Scientific Research Council (SRC), Hope Gardens, Kingston 6, Jamaica W.I. 876-927-1779(w) | 876-977-1840(f) | ceis@src-jamaica.org www.ceis-caribenergy.org www.src-jamaica.org
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22-04-2015 || 10 People Who are Making the Caribbean a Greener Place Who is a green person in the Caribbean? It’s someone who is doing his or her part to help the environment — from conservation to renewable energy. And for Earth Day 2015, we decided to put together a list of the Caribbean’s 10 “greenest people,” those who are helping ... Read more 20-04-2015|| Earth Day Op-Ed by U.S. Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Lisa Johnson On April 22, the United States will join countries around the world in commemorating the 45th anniversary of “Earth Day.” This day gives us the chance to stop and think about the serious impact that climate change could have on our communities, and to recommit ourselves...Read more 19-04-2015 || Caribbean and International Water and Funding Agencies Meet on a New Caribbean Climate-Proofing Water Investment Initiative Over thirty (30) representatives from key regional and international water and finance institutions will meet in Barbados on April 9th and 10th, 2015 to help steer a new Caribbean Climate-Proofing Water ... Read more 16-04-2015 || Wave Player Thinks Big in Grenada Israeli wave energy player Werpo is arranging talks in Grenada as it plans to develop 100MW in the country. The company said it will begin negotiations in the private and public sectors and along with its partner in the Caribbean, SeedSowers corporation, has “been in ... Read more 16-04-2015|| Wigton Saving the Country Billions in Oil Imports, Cutting Carbon Emissions The Wigton Windfarm, established by the Government a decade ago to reduce the country’s reliance on imported oil, has been impacting positively on the environment, the economy, and the Rose Hill community of Manchester where it is located. Wigton began its ... Read more 10-04-2015 || 2015 Will Bring ‘Giant, Permanent Step’ Toward Lowering US Carbon Emissions Carbon dioxide emissions will slip to the lowest since 1994 as U.S. utilities shift away from coal in favor of solar, wind and natural gas. The power grid will add a record amount of solar energy ...Read more 10-04-2015|| World Green Economy Summit 2015 By working to become a long-term development platform, WGES 2015 will assist in establishing Dubai as “The Capital of the Green Economy”. Those attending will have the opportunity to become part of an exclusive network and make an impact on media, social networks and among business, government and finance leaders. ... Read more 09-04-2015 || President Obama Announces Fund for Clean Energy Projects in Caribbean Kingston, Jamaica – United States President Barack Obama today announced the formation of an energy fund to finance clean energy projects in the region. “Caribbean countries have one of the highest energy cost in the world,” Obama said. “Today we are announcing new... Read More 02-04-2015 || Climate Resilience Funding Revving up for the Private Sector Much has been written and has become known about the “slow moving emergency” that climate change represents to nations like Jamaica, which the United Nations categorises as Small Island Developing States (SIDS). What is lesser known are the new funding mechanisms ... Read more