Take control, include populace, make projects bankable – Energy experts

Take full control of the development of renewable energy (RE) in the Region. Include the general populace in the dialogue and processes that will lead to the further development of the sector. Make RE projects bankable.

Those were some of the key takeaways from the first full day of discussions of the Caribbean Sustainable Energy Forum (CSEF) VI now underway at the Belize Ocean Club in Placencia, Belize. The Forum is being held under the theme ‘Clean Energy, Good Governance and Regulations.
CSEF formally opened on Sunday and discussions began in earnest on Monday morning. Former Prime Minister of Aruba, Michiel Eman, set the tone with his emphasis on the pursuit of clean energy as part of an obligation to protect the “resources we have been blessed with”, as well as a journey that had profound meaning for the quality of life of citizens of the Caribbean.
Sharing information and opportunities, Eman said, gave the journey a “deeper” meaning to society. It would engender a sense of commitment and shared responsibilities. He pointed out that the future was based on renewables and the Region had to find new financial opportunities towards fruition.
He called on Forum participants to think not only of lowering energy prices, but about how those savings could benefit society and create the environment for prosperity for everyone.

Take control
Member of the high-level panel, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries of Trinidad and Tobago, Nicole Olivierre, drove home the point that the Region had to take full control of its renewable sources of energy. She called for the “sharing and pooling” of resources to growing the renewable energy capacity of the Region and stressed that the Region had to take full control of its own energy supplies. Countries had to find a way to finance the exploitation of their own energy sources, she added.
Panel discussions and presentations during the day tackled subjects such as geopolitics, climate change and energy governance; the role of the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE) in envisioning the acceleration of a clean energy marketing development in the Caribbean Community (Caricom); reducing the implementation deficit; island-appropriate clean energy development, making the Caribbean climate-smart and the clean energy transition in Caricom.
On Tuesday, Belize will share its experiences with energy transition. Focus during the day will also continue to be placed on energy governance as well as regulation.
Two concurrent technical workshops will be held on Wednesday. They will address utility business models and innovation in rate-making and implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) in the energy and transport sectors.
The CSEF VI is being co-hosted by the Caricom Secretariat and the Government of Belize, in partnership with the Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC) and the Organisation of Caribbean Utility Regulators (OOCUR). Key sponsorship and technical support for the staging of the CSEF VI will be provided by the Technical Assistance Programme for Sustainable Energy in the Caribbean, which is being implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ); the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency; the Organisation of American States; the Public Utilities Commission; Belize Electricity Limited; and the Caricom Development Fund.