Can Jamaica Lead the Caribbean in Renewable Energy?

By: - June 7th, 2014

Above: a wind farm (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Can Jamaica lead the Caribbean in the development of green energy?

Jamaica Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell says that it can, predicting that, by the middle of next year, Jamaica will be the leading country in the region in the gross production of renewable energy.

“There will be no other country to match Jamaica next year, when, in addition to the 40 megawatts of wind that we now generate, plus about 20 megawatts of hydropower, we are going to be introducing 78 additional megawatts,” Paulwell said, arguing that Jamaica is on the way to leading the region in solar, hydropower and wind.

The Minister said the additional 78 megawatts would be generated from two wind projects offering 50 MW and a solar project producing 20 MW.

Paulwell said three bidders have already been selected for the green energy projects: Blue Mountain REnewables, for 34 MW of wind power at Munro, St Elizabeth; Wigton Windfarm for 24 MW of wind power at Rose Hill, Manchester; and WRB Enterprises to supply 20 MW of power from solar facilities in Content Village, Clarendon.

With increasingly high energy costs, the Caribbean is moving in the direction of green energy, most notably Aruba, which plans to receive 100 percent of its energy from green sources by the year 2020.

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