Barriers and Solutions to the Development of Renewable Energy Technologies in the Caribbean

Abstract

Despite large amounts of readily available renewable energy, most islandstates in the Caribbean are still heavily dependent on mostly imported fossil fuelsfor their energy production. Making use of empirical analyses, this paper exploresthe barriers to the development of RE for power generation in the Caribbean, andoutlines a strategy of how to overcome these barriers. Semi-structured interviewswith three“super-experts”serve to supplement thefindings of a preceding literaturereview. Approximately 30 experts are consulted to confirm and rank the identifiedbarriers to RE according to their importance. The end-product of this study is aranking matrix that will serve as a strategy instrument for decision-makers, who arethen able to prioritise barriers and initiate their removal.