Above: the first panels at the farm in St Kitts

By the Caribbean Journal staff

St Kitts and Nevis has broken ground on another new solar farm on the island.

The country is already home to a solar farm at the Robert L Bradshaw International Airport.

“This development that is taking place with regard to renewable energy is this government’s way of showing that it has broken oil’s 100 percent hold on our economy,” said Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas. “In St Kitts and Nevis, we no longer will read of how renewable energy can change the economic and developmental prospects of a nation. We will be able to demonstrate it here.”

The 90×90-square-metre farm, located in the field adjacent to the headquarters of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, will be capable of transferring up to 500 kilowatts of energy to the national grid.

That could save the equivalent of 40,000 gallons of fuel per year.

The project, which will be owned and operated by the island’s utility, SKELEC, is being overseen and built by energy technology company Speedtech, in cooperation with the government of Taiwan.

“Go Green is a policy of the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis in promoting renewable energy,” said Taiwan Ambassador to St Kitts and Nevis Miguel Tsao. “As a close partner of this country, Taiwan will spare no effort to work closely with the government and people of St. Kitts and Nevis to fulfill this goal with all of you.”

A third farm is also in the works, planned in the countryside.

That farm will also have an output of one megawatt.