Sustainable Energy & Development News
VOL.1 JANUARY 2016
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... Solar Panel Owners: More Consistent Power, Electrical Energy Security, and Hydrogen Electrical power can be shut down for months. The Presidential Debates recently focused on the vulnerability of power grids. The scarcity of fresh water is also ... Read more
IDB Fund Climate Change Adaptation Programme In Tobago Involving Underwater Sculptures Buccoo Reef, Tobago – The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has provided US$500,000 in grant financing to The Cropper Foundation in Trinidad and Tobago ... Read more
TAJ Records Energy Savings The Tax Administration of Jamaica (TAJ) office at the Donald Sangster Building (DSB) Downtown Kingston is reporting a reduction in its monthly electricity bill of $500,000 after its implementation of energy ... Read more
JANUARY 2016 IN REVIEW BE IN THE KNOW ON RENEWABLE ENERGY
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World Future Energy Summit January 18 – 21, 2016 ABU DHABI National Exhibition Centre, Reed Exhibitions Middle East, Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates International Conference on Ocean Energy (ICOE) 2016 February 23-25, 2016 EICC, Edinburgh ENERGY: A Balanced Future, Conference & Exhibition International Green Summit 2016 March 11-13, 2016 Bangabandhu International Conference Center, BICC, Dhaka, Bangladesh– SMART WATER SYSTEMS April 25 – 26, 2016 Holiday Inn Kensington Forum, London
29-01-2016 ||Caribbean Countries Approach Sustainable Energy Practices Jointly Caribbean countries which are taking steps to apply sustainable energy practices have started the year with a joint approach. Six Commonwealth countries selected to actively participate in a two-day sustainable energy meet, gathered in Antigua & Barbuda this week, as efforts to address issues that deter the establishment of sustainable energy in the region continue. Chelauna Providence, Project Officer & Consultant ... Read more 27-01-2016 || Geothermal To Bring Many Positive Benefits To Nevis, Says Deputy Premier Basseterre, St Kitts (SKNIS) -- In January 2018, Nevis is expected to take a huge step in claiming the title as the “Greenest Place on Planet Earth.” Deputy Premier Mark Brantley made this disclosure while giving an update in the production of geothermal energy on the most recent edition of the government’s radio programme “Working for You”. “It is an initiative that we (Nevis) embarked on some ten years ago,” Brantley stated, adding that the project is definitely worthwhile. Read more 25-01-2016 || Barbados, Guyana Expand In Energy Even as energy companies in T&T sector are reporting declines in revenue, Guyana and Barbados are putting measures in place to expand their energy sectors. Energy Ministers from the two neighbouring countries were part of a special plenary on Caribbean regional energy integration at the recently concluded T&T Energy Conference at the Hyatt Regency in Port-of-Spain. Darcy Boyce, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister of Barbados, referring to the size of T&T’s energy ... Read more 25-01-2016 ||Saft Lights Up Champ de Mars in Port-au-Prince With Lithium-ion Energy Storage System Lithium-ion Energy Storage System (ESS) powers lighting and Wi-Fi for historic public square. Intensium Max 20E energy battery container combined with solar panels. First photovoltaic plant developed in Haitï is model for other island grids. Paris, January 25th, 2016 - Saft, the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of high-tech industrial ... Read more
REPORTS Study on the Development of the Renewable Energy Market in Latin America and the Caribbean Caribbean Sustainable Energy Roadmap (C-SERMS) Phase 1 Summary and Recommendations for Policymakers Energy Security in the Caribbean : Unique Challenges Perspective Paper February 2015
DOCUMENTS National Energy Plan - Final Draft Commonwealth of Dominica
Power Systems of the Future A 21stCentury Power Partnership Thought Leadership Report
UNIVERSAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS Understanding the Transformational Challenge for Developed Countries
Millennium Development Goal 8 Taking Stock of the Global Partnership for Development
19-01-2016 || Solar Power Plant To Be Built In St Lucia Castries, St. Lucia, Tuesday January 19, 2016 – The St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) will soon begin the process of constructing a 3.2 megawatt solar power plant, the first major renewable energy project on the ground. LUCELEC Managing Director Trevor Louisy said the company intends to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the construction of the solar farm at La Tourney, Vieux Fort, a town located near the southernmost point of the island. The project ... Read more 17-12- 2015 || UAE Provides Loans For Renewable Energy Projects In Caribbean, Africa San Juan - The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) announced Sunday $46 million in concessional loans for four renewable energy projects in developing countries. The loans will fund a wind and solar project in Antigua and Barbuda, a solar project in Burkina Faso, a solar and wind project in Cabo Verde and a solar project in Senegal .... Read more 17-01-2016 ||Window Tinting, Solar Panels Cut NCB Energy Bill 20% National Commercial Bank Jamaica (NCB) has cut its energy sumption by 20 per cent over the past four years and is projecting half-billion dollars of new savings over the next four. By tinting its windows, changing its light and air-conditioning units, and installing some solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, the bank hopes to cut its electricity bill by another eight per ... Read more 17-01-2016 || Government Enlists APUA To Monitor Energy Consumption Of Ministries A directive has been sent from the Office of the Prime Minister to the various government ministries for “non-essential” lights to be turned off in buildings at sunset, as the government seeks to devise ways and means of reducing the country’s dependence on energy from fossil fuels. Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, who has responsibility for energy, made the announcement in a televised speech, which was broadcast at the National Sustainable Energy Consultation at the Multipurpose Cultural Centre yesterday. seterre, “The ... Read more 14-01-2016||St Bess Wind Farm Targeting Lower Energy Cost Ava Tomlin, the regional director of Blue Mountain Renewables Wind Limited (BMR), is confident that the expansion work being done at the company’s Malvern, St Elizabeth, site to include the installation of 11 wind-turbine generators, will result in reduced energy costs on electricity bills. “We will be the lowest-costing energy going into the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) grid once we have completed our expansion work, because we are going in at 12.9 US cents per kilowatt hour, which is lower than JPS’s cost,” Tomlin told The Gleaner. “So far, we have ... Read more 14-01-2016 || NIA to Establish Energy Unit In Renewable Energy Development Ques NIA Charlestown NEVIS (January 14, 2015) — Premier of Nevis and Minister of Finance Hon. Vance Amory, announced the Nevis Island Administration’s (NIA) plans to establish an Energy Unit in 2016, as part of its move to commission multiple renewable energy initiatives on the island. Mr. Amory’s announcement came when he delivered the 2016 Budget Address at a sitting of the Nevis Island Assembly at Hamilton House in December 2015. He said it is imperative to put in place. Read more
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13-01-2016 || CARIBBEAN: US Embassy Bridgetown Installs Largest Wind Turbine In Barbados The largest single wind turbine in Barbados has been installed at the U.S. Embassy to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean, and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. The 20 kilowatt turbine, which is also the largest operating at any U.S. embassy in the world, underscores Embassy Bridgetown’s commitment to clean, renewable energy development throughout the region. Since the 70-foot-high turbine was installed in Wildey ... Read more 12-01-2016 || Clean Energy To Conquer New Markets In 2016 The year 2015 has been characterized by the world’s commitment to clean renewable energy. At least since the climate agreement at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, held in December 2015 in Paris, there is a global consent to reduce CO2 emissions and to encourage the usage of clean energy sources. The Swiss-based solar energy provider, The meeco Group, has supported this development through a multitude of successful solar power projects. In retrospective t he meeco Group in 2015 has build on the developments of 2014 in terms of product The Swiss-based solar energy provider, The meeco Group ... Read more 12-01-2016 || Renewable Energy A renewable supply is any energy or supply that is replenished by a natural process at a rate that equal to or greater than the speed at which it is used. Due to the impending global energy crisis brought about by over consumption of fossil fuels, humans must turn to renewable resources as a means for alternative energy. Some of these resources include geothermal power, wind power, solar power and hydropower. Renewable resources, if managed properly can improve the way we consume energy, while improving our quality of life. Read more 09-01-2016 || Cuba and Germany to Work Together in Renewable Energy The interest in promoting investment and cooperation in renewable energy with Cuba was expressed on Friday in this capital by Sigmar Gabriel, Deputy Foreign Minister (FM) and Federal Minister of the Economy and Energy of Germany. As part of his official visit to the Caribbean nation, Gabriel and a representation of entrepreneurs accompanying him met on Friday with Alfredo Lopez, Cuban Minister of Energy and Mines. During the meeting, issues such as the development of ... Read more 06-01-2016 || Honey Bun To Invest US$250,000 On Solar Project The Kingston-based bakery Honey Bun Limited is planning to spend US$250,000 to invest in its own 100-kilowatt solar-energy system at its factory in Kingston with the objective of increasing efficiency. The project is expected to save the company, funded and run by the Chong family, up to 30 per cent on its electricity bill. with the various events and activities associated with the holiday season, so The company’s strategy is to stagger the solar project over five stages with the first completed ... Read more 05-01-2016 || Solar Panels Installed At NEMO And NMWC In an effort to further promote the use of renewable energy in St. Lucia, government has moved to install photovoltaic systems at the National Mental Wellness Centre (NMWC) and the headquarters of the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO). This is in keeping with its promise to transition to 35 percent renewable energy for electricity generation by 2020 and reduce electricity consumption in the public ... Read more
JANUARY 2016 IN REVIEW
BE IN THE KNOW ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY, ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE 29-01-2016 || Japan and UNDP Kick Start US$15 Million Caribbean Climate Change Project Bridgetown, Barbados,– The Government of Japan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched the US$15 million JapanCaribbean Climate Change Partnership (J-CCCP), in line with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, to keep global warming below ... Read more
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26-01-2016 || OECS Drafts Marine Research Strategy To Manage The Region’s Oceans Castries, St Lucia -- The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) has drafted a marine research strategy to ensure more effective and sustainable use of the region’s oceans. The drive is part of efforts by the OECS Oceans Governance Unit to ensure ... Read more 25-01-2016 || UN Secretary-General Invites World Leaders to Signing Ceremony on 22 April for Paris Agreement on Climate Change New York – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has invited all world leaders to a signing ceremony on 22 April for the historic climate agreement that was reached in Paris in December last year. The signing event will take place at UN Headquarters in New York on the first day the agreement will be open for signature, which ... Read more 25-01-2016 || Standing Firm Against Mosquitoes Mandeville, Manchester — As is the case across the country, local authorities in the south central parishes of Manchester, Clarendon and St Elizabeth are on a campaign to destroy mosquitobreeding sites ahead of the expected arrival of the Zika virus. The Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA), which which has overall responsibility for the three parishes, said it has stepped... 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
22-01-2016 || Be Prepared for Earthquakes – ODPEM Warns Kingston, Jamaica – Jamaica’s location along the northern margin of the Caribbean Plate and the presence of very active faults on the island make it vulnerable to earthquakes. As such, earthquakes can occur at anytime and anywhere, and so it is very important that persons ... Read more 20-01-2016|| Caribbean Biodiversity Overheated By Climate Changee Santo Domingo – The nearly 7,000 islands and the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea are home to thousands of endemic species and are on the migration route of many kinds of birds. Preserving this abundant fauna requires multilateral actions in today’s era of global warming. Read more 19-01-2016 || Developing Climate Smart Agriculture In Grenada St. George’s , Grenada, – The Grenada Government is partnering with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) to establish selfsufficient communities through permaculture, or the use of modern science for sustainability. John Stollmeyer Director of Caribbean Permaculture Consultants says the idea is to get communities to be creative ... Read more 14-01-2016 || Jamaica’s Drought Tool Could Turn the Table on Climate Change Kingston, Jamaica – On a very dry November 2013, Jamaica’s Meteorological Service made its first official drought forecast when the newly developed Climate Predictability Tool (CPT) was used to predict a high probability of below average rainfall in the coming three ... Read more 11-01-2016|| Tales of Erosion at Treasure Beach This time last year the entire Treasure Beach stretch had people lying on their towels soaking up the sun and enjoying the waters, but now there is hardly any beach left. According to Dennis Abrahams, who owns and operates a boat tour business, increasingly active erosion along the southern coast has washed away the the majority of the sand and the ... Read more 08-01-2016|| Cash For The Climate Please, Caribbean Leaders Lamented Georgetown, Guyana, (IPS) – Funding to address the financial flows needed for adaptation and mitigation of climate change remains an issue of concern for the Caribbean. The region’s leaders say developed countries should continue to take the lead in mobilizing climate finance from a... Read more
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06-01-2016|| Tough Call: The Bahamian Paradox Of Clean Energy And Oil Drilling Prime Minister Perry Christie says climate change “threatens the existence of The Bahamas as we know it”. So what does the recent Paris agreement to tackle climate issues mean for The Bahamas – and the rest of the world? In case you didn’t know, almost 200 countries spent two ... Read more 06-01-2016 || Caribbean Journalists Prepare to Report on Climate Change Santo Dmingo – Environmentally committed journalists in the Caribbean point to a major challenge for media workers: communicating and raising awareness about the crucial climate change agreement that ... Read more 05-01-2016||Caribbean Environmental Wins There is still hope for us. Let’s have a look at positive environmental developments from the Caribbean. Antigua & Barbuda: A plastic bag importation ban went in to effect on January 1, 2016. Plastic bags will not disappear from Antigua immediately. Shopkeepers are given until mid 2016 to adapt to doing business with alternatives, like reusable bags. Read more