The launch of an H2-Caribbean in 2023 saw a sell-out crowd and a packed house. H2-Caribbean 2024 will again gather upstream and downstream players to explore the viability and potential of green hydrogen to bolster and transform regional economies.
Does Hydrogen have the potential to be a regional game-changer?
What are the Caribbean’s competitive advantages?
How will we produce H2 and at what cost?
Is there a regional market for Caribbean H2 and what infrastructure do we need to store and distribute it?
What is the price tag and who will pick it up?
Ultimately: can we build a decarbonizing, economy-lifting, competitiveness-driving industry for the region?
Participants will include Caribbean policy-makers, utility CEOs, development banks, and leading H2 industry experts and investors. More information here.
Dominican Republic Focus Session: Region-Leading Clean Energy Revolution
Nowhere in the region has seen faster growth or more investment in the clean energy transition than the Dominican Republic. Gathering public and private sector leaders, this workshop will provide critical insight and guidance on new regulatory policies, updates to the PPA bidding process, and the outlook for the pipeline for utility-scale and DG renewable energy projects. It will look at modernization and simplification of the renewable energy due diligence process and next steps in the energy transition planning.
Sustainable Cooling: A Deep Dive into Seawater Air-Conditioning (SWAC) Solutions for the Caribbean
Hosted by The World Bank Group
SWAC is a blue economy technology that uses deep, cold seawater to replace conventional cooling with energy savings of up to 90%. This technology has been deployed in numerous sites around the world with hundreds of years of combined operating experience. The World Bank has undertaken a project to assess SWAC potential for the Caribbean and will present in-depth business cases for SWAC in Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Grenada. The business cases analyzed the technical and financial parameters of SWAC system viability, options for investment structures and calculation of co-benefits including emission reductions, job creation and energy security.
By invitation-only. Invitation requests are available via registration.
Leading voices in the Caribbean set the stage for energy transition goals: vision, planning, innovation, and action. Visionary thinkers link COP outcomes, such as the Loss and Damage Fund, to the Caribbean’s renewable energy future, and discuss how the Caribbean can position itself at the nexus of the global climate change conversation.
Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator Chief Executive Officer Moderator
Breaking Through the Barriers to Massive RE Expansion in the Caribbean
The need for a systemic and region-wide transition to clean energy is broadly accepted. Now is the time. However, to achieve the ambition and make good on the pipeline, hurdles need to be addressed. How do we make radical and rapid progress against the backdrop of the realities we face now?
Takeaway Question: What are the key obstacles we need to overcome to meet our clean energy goals?
The Minister of Energy and Business of Barbados discusses national ambitions and targets, lessons learned, and next steps on the path to net zero and increased resilience.
Grid Infrastructure: Addressing the Thorn in the Side to Renewables Expansion
Limited transmission infrastructure and capacity is a major hurdle to achieving renewable energy targets. How can islands build out, and pay for grid expansion? We’ll dive into the bottlenecks that need to be cleared and the regulatory clarity that must be delivered for grid-wide clean energy expansion. What are the economics of grid modernization and digitalization, and how will that impact on energy prices? Who will be responsible for funding these necessary updates?
Takeaway Question: Where should resource and support be directed to address grid limitations?
Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) Director, Islands Energy ProgramModerator
Networking Lunch and CREF Awards Presentation
Puerto Rico’s Path Towards Energy Transformation
Leading figures driving unprecedented change in Puerto Rico’s energy sector will provide a view from the rock-face on the status of policy and procurement in this massive, island-wide, transition.
Invest Puerto Rico Chief Executive OfficerModerator
Modernizing Regulation To Scale-Up Investment Across the Region
Island regulators share the stage with developers and investors for an open discussion on how to address regulatory gaps, streamline approval processes, and stimulate appetite for development. How can regulation ease the burden of doing business in the region? What could more streamlined regulation ultimately mean for regional project development?
Takeaway Question: What aspects of regulation need to be addressed to enable RE advancement at scale?
Caribbean Development Bank Coordinator, Sustainable EnergyModerator
Networking Break
Optimizing the Opportunity in Guyana, Trinidad, and Suriname’s O&G Bonanza: Committing to Low Carbon Development
As Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad seek to incorporate a low-carbon growth strategy within their fossil fuel dynamic, how can stakeholders support, and participate in the clean energy opportunity? We’ll receive an update on progress to date and look at the opportunities to develop bankable clean energy projects and create broader energy security and economic growth for the region.
Delegates are invited to join these networking-rich roundtable discussions. All CREF delegates are welcome to grab a coffee, pull up a chair, and share their perspectives in these lightly-moderated, topic-specific discussions.
Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources, The Bahamas Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources
Geopolitics, Climate, and Energy Security: Is the Caribbean a Priority?
How is the landscape for energy security shifting and what is driving these trends?
How does the Caribbean fit into the energy dynamic in the hemisphere and globally? Is the region given sufficient recognition and support related to energy security and climate policy?
How does the Caribbean fit into the broader climate and energy security picture from the US perspective?
In real terms, what support does PACC 2030 comprise?
BloombergNEF Business Director Latam, Caribbean, US Mid-Atlantic & South EastModerator
Cayman Islands Delivering on the Energy Policy and Implementation Plan
How robust is Cayman’s Energy Policy and Implementation Plan and will it succeed in transforming the island’s energy mix? What are the key provisions and are there opportunities for international participation?
Turks and Caicos Islands Commissioner, Energy and Utilities Department
Building More Bankable Projects: Preparation for Implementation
A panel of leading capital providers talk us through the latest trends in financing and investment. How is the high interest rate environment impacting access to capital? How can we most effectively tap into the plethora of project preparation facilities that have been launched into the market? What aspects of project design and development can we manage better to increase access to private and concessional funding? Who’s getting it right and where can we point to success stories?
Battery Storage Solutions: Unlocking the Next Phase of the Energy Transition
Storage solutions deliver resilience and flexibility, but there are still hurdles to expanded rollout. Where are the regulatory limitations and how can they be overcome? How can utilities pay for and monetize battery storage solutions? Assessing the economics and the trajectory going forward.
Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) Projects Director Global SouthModerator
Networking Lunch and CARICOM Women in Sustainable Energy (WISE) Awards
The Future of Large Renewables in the Caribbean
Part I: Presentation: Off-Shore Wind and Geothermal: Looking at the Numbers, Project Viability, and Bankability (PS)
The data delivered: cost per kilowatt, capex, operational challenges, and market dynamics. Also: can next-generation baseload technologies produce enough clean energy at scale to use green hydrogen in a meaningful way? What interconnection advances would need to be achieved to make this possible?
Part II - Interconnection - the missing link to scale?
Large-scale renewable generation projects are often limited by domestic demand. Interconnection of grids through submarine transmission cables could allow for the optimal development of resources such as offshore wind, geothermal energy and hydropower, and enable the scale needed for power-to-X projects (including green hydrogen and ammonia production). Has the time come for this to be considered as a real possibility? What de-risking steps can be taken to open up opportunities for investment?
CARIBBEAN CLIMATE-SMART ACCELERATOR Finance Innovation Director
The Future of Large Renewables in the Caribbean
Part III: Geothermal & Offshore Wind What Will it Take to Deliver on Clean and Reliable Energy? (Panel Discussion, Case Studies, Live Polling)
Proponents of geothermal and offshore wind will take the stage to discuss and compare the relative potential for deployment in the region and respond to moderator/audience questions related to common, and distinct challenges on the path ahead. The audience and moderator will challenge on questions of cost, safety, E&S concerns, economic viability, procurement, and risk strategy. As a community, we ask: what could present a real solution to large scale clean energy requirements? How do they compete and compare with natural gas? Is nuclear power a viable alternative for the Caribbean?
Commonwealth of Dominica Minister of Foreign Affairs, former Minister for Planning, Economic Development, Climate Resilience, Sustainable Development, and Renewable Energy