Solar microgrids across Puerto Rico withstand quakes; boost case for distributed generation

January 20, 2020

Solar microgrids installed throughout Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria didn’t lose power when massive earthquakes tore through the island’s electric grid earlier this month. The microgrids, many of which are permanently off-grid, were able to continue operating despite serious damage to transmission lines and power plants. Operators see this as an argument for shifting to […]

Trinidad and Haiti among islands receiving UAE support for climate-resilient energy projects

January 16, 2020

The UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund (UAE-CREF) has entered the second cycle of its $50 million three-year plan to build climate-resilient renewable energy projects in 16 Caribbean nations. It said it has successfully completed new development and funded agreements for the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Guyana, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname. The […]

CREF 2019 in a nutshell

January 15, 2020

2019 marked another blockbuster year for the Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum, which drew more than 500 attendees from 50 countries to the JW Marriott Marquis in Miami, Florida on October 16-18, 2019. Highlights included the Island Resiliency Action Challenge, the E-Mobility Workshop, the CREF Industry Awards, the Women in Energy Breakfast, the Ministerial Roundtable, the […]

Solar producer secures $15-million financing for PV plants in Puerto Rico

January 15, 2020

Solar power producer Sonnedix recently closed on US$15 million in financing for solar photovoltaic plants in Puerto Rico. City National Bank, based in Florida, acted as the lender. Sonnedix has been operating in Puerto Rico since 2015 and currently has two operational solar PV plants on the island, with 50MW of solar power capacity in […]

Opportunities in Caribbean infrastructure

January 14, 2020

Ahead of the 4th annual Caribbean Infrastructure Forum (CARIF) in Kingston, Jamaica, on January 21-22 (2020), we hosted a webinar with leading market participants to identify what trends are driving the regional market. Read a recap by our co-hosts at IJGlobal here and listen to the full webinar recording here.

Natural Capital Dominates Policy Discussions in 2020

January 14, 2020

With several critical policy discussions on the calendar,  2020 has been dubbed the Super Year for Nature. Meetings include the International Union for Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress in France, happening in June; the COP15 of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in China this October; and Climate COP26 closing out the year […]

Q&A: Quakes pose a new threat to Puerto Rico’s grid, but PREPA expects power to be restored to all customers in days

From our Editorial Team

January 10, 2020

At least 45 earthquakes shook Puerto Rico over several days in early January, leaving behind collapsed buildings and a crippled electric grid. As of publication, approximately two-thirds of the island’s 3.2 million customers remain in the dark. The temblors severely damaged Guayanilla Power Plant in the southern region, which generated more than a quarter of […]

Puerto Rico earthquakes cause widespread devastation and power loss

January 9, 2020

A series of earthquakes across Puerto Rico deal another blow for the already fragile power system. As of Jan 9, about 2/3 of Puerto Rico is without power, and officials say the impact from the earthquakes have caused wider devastation than Hurricane Maria. In the case of generation, one power plant has suffered sufficient damage […]

Shareholders request Barclays phase out financing of fossil fuel companies

January 8, 2020

Barclays shareholders have filed a landmark resolution asking the bank to phase out the financing of fossil fuel companies. The request came from 11 institutional investors managing more than US$170.6 billion and about 100 individual shareholders, and will be voted on at the British bank’s annual general meeting in May. Barclays is currently the highest […]