The Eastern Caribbean is Hot on Solar Energy

Efforts to advance renewable energy in the Eastern Caribbean got a big push forward last Wednesday, March 3, 2021, when over 200 people graduated from a training course on Photovoltaic Installation and System Inspection.

This programme was the single largest training event in renewable energy in the Caribbean Region to date. It was implemented by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, on behalf of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) through its Sustainable Energy for Eastern Caribbean (SEEC) programme, with funding provided by the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

 While originally conceptualised to be an in-person course, the programme was modified to be delivered virtually due to COVID-19. In the end, 228 people were trained in the programme which ran from July 2020 to January 2021.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Director General of the OECS, Dr. Didacus Jules said,

“Our vulnerability to the looming threat from climate change must put us into mitigation actions that are based on low as zero-carbon energy sources. In light of this, the OECS Member States have clearly articulated their commitment to renewable energy as an integral part of their sustainable development policy.”

Programme participants were drawn from the six independent OECS Member States —Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and Grenadines— and included both male and female participants from the public and private sectors. The programme also welcomed persons with disabilities, young new entrants into the field of solar technology, as well as established practitioners in need of certification. Participants were selected from applications submitted by various national energy ministries that met the eligibility criteria

Read more the full story at OECS Press Release