A paper published in the current issue of the journal Energy Policy examines the causes behind the slow pace of renewable energy development in the Caribbean. Harrie Vredenburg and colleagues surveyed 36 political jurisdictions in the Caribbean to assess factors that promote and restrict initiatives for greener energy generation.
One outcome explained that incumbent electric utilities often hamper the drive for renewables investment, where they are influential in policy-making. This contradicts earlier findings that the presence of a utility with a proactive role in pushing for green technology would help spur development into renewables.
The report also concluded that green energy flourished in places where ecology and entrepreneurism thrive, based on findings from case studies in Bonaire and Barbados. These findings corroborated earlier published studies done by Vredenburg and Juan Leonardo Espinoza, who also completed his PhD at Haskayne, in Costa Rica and Denmark where strong pro-renewables cultures exist.
The physical and cultural makeup of the Caribbean provide a great opportunity to study how green policy is set, said Vredenburg, who also noted that the report findings are “quite probably” applicable beyond the Caribbean.
Click here for the full article from the University of Calgary:
https://www.ucalgary.ca/utoday/issue/2016-09-27/winds-change-slow-reach-caribbeans-renewable-energy-landscape
