Barbadian economist Dr. DeLisle Worrell believes that the Caribbean has been too slow in taking advantage of the renewable energy sector:

Delivering the inaugural Confucius lecture at the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination on Wednesday night, former Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados Dr DeLisle Worrell pointed out that until recently, the region lacked the technologies to make practical use of solar energy.

“The sun, wind, our rivers and thermal springs have now become of immense value, thanks to a number of new technological developments,” he said.

“These include more efficient wind turbines, computer programmes and communications to permit thousands of small producers to join the national electric grid; cars, buses and other transport run entirely on electricity; and storage systems to supply power when there is no wind or sunlight,” Worrell added.

However, he said the region’s leaders were “yet to discern” the transformative potential of the sector, given the fact that practical, affordable technologies which are currently on the market could supply 100 per cent of the power needs of the Caribbean from wind, the sun and thermal sources.

“Every Caribbean nation can now supply all the power it needs for the electric grid, for cars, cycles, buses, trucks, trains, construction equipment, cooking, and every other requirement, from sources that are entirely free of cost, and infinite in supply …  and you don’t have to pay to dig or pump it out of the ground.

Read more in the full article from Barbados Today.

[Image credit: Robert R Gigliotti]