IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v57y2013icp244-252.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Renewable energy sector development in the Caribbean: Current trends and lessons from history

Author

Listed:
  • Shirley, Rebekah
  • Kammen, Daniel

Abstract

Island regions and isolated communities represent an understudied area of not only clean energy development but also of innovation. Caribbean states have for some time shown interest in developing a regional sustainable energy policy and in implementing measures which could help to protect its member states from volatile oil markets while promoting reliance on local resources. Here we examine four case studies of renewable energy advancements being made by public utility companies and independent energy companies in the Caribbean. We attempt to locate renewable energy advances in a broader historical framework of energy sector development, indicating a few policy lessons. We find that different degrees of regulatory and legislative sophistication have evolved in different islands. Islands should have specialized policy focus, contrasting the ad-hoc nature of current regional energy policy discussion. We also conduct a cost benefit analysis which shows that these early, innovative alternative energy projects show themselves to be both profitable and significant sources of emissions reduction and job creation. This lends support to the potential benefits of regional energy policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Shirley, Rebekah & Kammen, Daniel, 2013. "Renewable energy sector development in the Caribbean: Current trends and lessons from history," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 244-252.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:57:y:2013:i:c:p:244-252
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2013.01.049
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421513000761
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2013.01.049?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daniel Weisser, 2004. "An analysis of Grenada's power sector and energy resources: a role for renewable energy technologies?," International Journal of Global Energy Issues, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 21(1/2), pages 189-218.
    2. Gabriele, Alberto, 2004. "Policy alternatives in reforming energy utilities in developing countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(11), pages 1319-1337, July.
    3. Reuter, Wolf Heinrich & Szolgayová, Jana & Fuss, Sabine & Obersteiner, Michael, 2012. "Renewable energy investment: Policy and market impacts," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 249-254.
    4. Weisser, Daniel, 2004. "Power sector reform in small island developing states: what role for renewable energy technologies?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 8(2), pages 101-127, April.
    5. Weisser, Daniel & Garcia, Raquel S., 2005. "Instantaneous wind energy penetration in isolated electricity grids: concepts and review," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 30(8), pages 1299-1308.
    6. Barradale, Merrill Jones, 2010. "Impact of public policy uncertainty on renewable energy investment: Wind power and the production tax credit," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(12), pages 7698-7709, December.
    7. Weisser, Daniel, 2004. "On the economics of electricity consumption in small island developing states: a role for renewable energy technologies?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 127-140, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rious, Vincent & Perez, Yannick, 2014. "Review of supporting scheme for island powersystem storage," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 754-765.
    2. Dornan, Matthew & Jotzo, Frank, 2015. "Renewable technologies and risk mitigation in small island developing states: Fiji’s electricity sector," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 35-48.
    3. Matthew Dornan & Frank Jotzo, 2012. "Renewable Technologies and Risk Mitigation in Small Island Developing States (SIDS): Fiji’s Electricity Sector," Development Policy Centre Discussion Papers 1213, Development Policy Centre, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
    4. Avri Eitan & Gillad Rosen & Lior Herman & Itay Fishhendler, 2020. "Renewable Energy Entrepreneurs: A Conceptual Framework," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-23, May.
    5. Romano, Antonio A. & Scandurra, Giuseppe & Carfora, Alfonso & Pansini, Rosaria V., 2016. "Assessing the determinants of SIDS' pattern toward sustainability: A statistical analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 688-699.
    6. Polzin, Friedemann & Egli, Florian & Steffen, Bjarne & Schmidt, Tobias S., 2019. "How do policies mobilize private finance for renewable energy?—A systematic review with an investor perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 236(C), pages 1249-1268.
    7. Marrero, Gustavo A. & Ramos-Real, Francisco Javier, 2010. "Electricity generation cost in isolated system: The complementarities of natural gas and renewables in the Canary Islands," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(9), pages 2808-2818, December.
    8. van Alphen, Klaas & Kunz, Huden S. & Hekkert, Marko P., 2008. "Policy measures to promote the widespread utilization of renewable energy technologies for electricity generation in the Maldives," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 12(7), pages 1959-1973, September.
    9. van Alphen, Klaas & van Sark, Wilfried G.J.H.M. & Hekkert, Marko P., 2007. "Renewable energy technologies in the Maldives--determining the potential," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 11(8), pages 1650-1674, October.
    10. Shafiullah, Muhammad & Miah, Mohammad Dulal & Alam, Md Samsul & Atif, Muhammad, 2021. "Does economic policy uncertainty affect renewable energy consumption?," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 1500-1521.
    11. Romano, Teresa & Fumagalli, Elena, 2018. "Greening the power generation sector: Understanding the role of uncertainty," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 272-286.
    12. Zafirakis, D. & Kaldellis, J.K., 2009. "Economic evaluation of the dual mode CAES solution for increased wind energy contribution in autonomous island networks," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(5), pages 1958-1969, May.
    13. Notton, Gilles, 2015. "Importance of islands in renewable energy production and storage: The situation of the French islands," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 260-269.
    14. Reynolds, Travis & Kolodinsky, Jane & Murray, Byron, 2012. "Consumer preferences and willingness to pay for compact fluorescent lighting: Policy implications for energy efficiency promotion in Saint Lucia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 712-722.
    15. Hua, Jian & Shiu, Hong-Gwo, 2018. "Sustainable development of renewable energy on Wangan Island, Taiwan," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 200-208.
    16. Gatzert, Nadine & Vogl, Nikolai, 2016. "Evaluating investments in renewable energy under policy risks," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 238-252.
    17. Dornan, Matthew, 2014. "Reform despite politics? The political economy of power sector reform in Fiji, 1996–2013," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 703-712.
    18. Dornan, Matthew & Shah, Kalim U., 2016. "Energy policy, aid, and the development of renewable energy resources in Small Island Developing States," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 759-767.
    19. Bénard-Sora, Fiona & Praene, Jean Philippe, 2016. "Territorial analysis of energy consumption of a small remote island: Proposal for classification and highlighting consumption profiles," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 636-648.
    20. Chen, Fengzhen & Duic, Neven & Manuel Alves, Luis & da Graça Carvalho, Maria, 2007. "Renewislands--Renewable energy solutions for islands," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 11(8), pages 1888-1902, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:57:y:2013:i:c:p:244-252. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.