Climate change commitment and geothermal in the Caribbean
Site of Well MON-01, Montserrat, Caribbean (source: Montserrat government)
Alexander Richter
5 May 2016
The countries of the Caribbean are committed on climate change goals looking at increasing the share of renewable energy in the energy mix, with many island states looking at geothermal energy.
“Caribbean countries have quietly started a green revolution and are now leading the way for other small island developing states in the global effort to limit the rise of global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius.”, so a recent report from the recently held US-Caribbean-Central American Energy Summit, hosted by US Vice-President Joe Biden.
So while, Caribbean countries are pushing forward with ambitious renewable energy targets, renewable energy still only represents a mere 10 percent of electricity generation in the region.
While solar and wind are obvious and much looked upon renewable energy options, geothermal energy is a key topic on various Caribbean islands.
Exploratory drilling and preparatory work is happening in Dominica, Grenada, Monserrat, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Today, many countries spend more than 5 percent of their income in oil imports but still facing challenges to fully satisfy demand. Despite the current low oil price, uncertainty remains and makes it rather important for the countries of the Caribbean to diversify their energy mix.
An interesting fact is that air condition accounts for around 48 percent of electricity consumption in Barbados, and one can assume that the picture in other Caribbean states where tourism plays an important role doesn’t look much different.
We will continue to report on geothermal projects in the Caribbean here on ThinkGeoEnergy.
Source: Jamaica Observer
