Barriers and Solutions to the Development of Renewable Energy Technologies in the Caribbean

Barriers to the Development of Renewable Energy Technologies in the Caribbean

Presenter: Katharina Richter, (Reiner-Lemoine Institut,Germany)

Rapporteur: Katie McCloskey

Overview

Despite large amounts of readily available renewable energy (RE), island states in the Caribbean are still heavily dependent on mostly imported fossil fuels for their energy production. Making use of empirical analyses, this paper explores the barriers to the development of RE for power generation in the Caribbean, and outlines a strategy of how to overcome these barriers. Semi structured interviews with three "super-experts" serve to supplement the findings of a preceding literature review. Approximately 30 experts are consulted to confirm and rank the identified barriers to RE according to their importance. The end-product of this study is a ranking matrix that will serve as a strategy instrument for decision-maker, who are then able to prioritise barriers and initiate their removal..

Issues Presented

​​► Please see the presentation.

• Key function of the paper is the metric introduced
• Sovereignty, security, access, and diversification are of key importance
• Demand is not high enough within the islands for economies of scale to be effective
• Clear legal frameworks, purchasing structures and legally binding policy targets will be of importance in growing energy networks in the Caribbean
• International organizations do not have the best reputations on the ground, however they are often advocates for the projects and sources of funding
• A need for greater dialogue between industries and research groups
  

Q & A

• Land use competition was a huge barrier; ie: small available land area often desired for agriculture or other productive industries rather than wind turbines
• Misconception that renewable energy is cheap (or free!) were surprised by results of geothermal energy