The Barbados Light & Power 100/100 Vision

Roger Blackman Managing Director, BL&P

The same holds true for wind technology which used to cost BBD $5.20 per Watt versus BBD $3.20 now. (Source: Lazard). And the good news is that the cost for both of these technologies is projected to fall by a further sixty to eighty percent within the next few years.

Fortunately, the cost of energy storage devices is also falling. Batteries are integral to the progression towards 100 renewable energy since wind and solar are intermittent. Batteries not only store the electricity generated by renewables to be used when they are not available but can help at periods of high demand to maintain reliable supply.

In Barbados, Government’s policy commitment to reducing the country’s carbon footprint, the need to save foreign exchange, and the reality of disruptive technology, along with changes in the way our workforce is prepared for all of this will, I believe, lead to us operating in an energy internet before we know it!

All of this means new jobs, new ways of working, greater productivity and an economic landscape that has the potential to be boundary-less. Underpinned by clean energy, a grid strengthened to take the country forward and a new, everevolving Light & Power, Barbados has the potential to be the first energy internet in the region.

Founder of the Virgin Group, Sir Richard Branson, says that solar energy has the capacity to bring abundant clean, sustainable energy to millions around the globe.

Imagine a Barbados where transportation is fully electrified and powered by clean energy. A Barbados where every citizen has a literal stake in renewable energy. A Barbados built on taking the best of emerging technology and partnerships with stakeholders that is a showcase for what’s possible in the near and long term future. When we first started talking about an economy that is powered by 100% renewable energy and that is also 100% electrified we know a few eyebrows were raised. However, we truly believe that this can be achieved within the next couple of decades, especially with the encouragement and support of Government.

The falling cost of renewables will also play a big role in achieving this. Over the past decade, the cost of solar photovoltaic electricity has fallen 73% internationally. For our customers this means that the cost per Watt of electricity generated by utility-scale solar pv systems now costs BBD $2.60 as opposed to BBD $8 when Light & Power first introduced the Renewable Energy Rider in 2010.

Barbados has been a leader in solar technology for decades, using the sun for solar water heating. This history of innovation coupled with the will to use the resources provided to us by nature to protect our future should see renewable energy paving the way towards great opportunities for us all.

The Barbados Light & Power Company Ltd. safely provides energy and energy services that are cost effective and reliable for our customers.

We invest in ways to make electricity generation cleaner and in of getting that energy to market.

We create regional energy solutions by linking assets, markets and partners in Canada, the US and the Caribbean.

We do this because we know that customers count on us for energy to power every moment of every day, and for solutions to power a sustainable tomorrow.