Mottley urges Govt.’s to incentivise transition to renewable energy

Feb 16, 2022 News

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…says citizens must share when the bounty is there

By Gary Eleazar

Kaieteur News – Governments across the world including countries such as Guyana and those in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) that face the brunt of the effects of climate change, and are now on the pathway towards transition towards the use of renewable sources of energy must incentive the transition.
This, according to Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, who during Tuesday’s opening of the International Energy Conference and Expo 2022, championed a people-centric approach to development and economic empowerment in the region through the energy sector which that country is now exploring.

Emphasising the need for support to citizens and the private sector with regard the transition towards using more renewable and less fossil fuels, she used as example a programme in her country, where persons domiciled there can in fact see home ownership made easier, through the installation of photovoltaic panels on their roof tops. She explained that the excess energy generated from the solar panel is then fed back into the electricity grid and that this will help to offset the cost of home ownership and to even help provide access to mortgages and other such services.
This approach she said, would allow for all the citizens of the country to benefit from the bounty of renewable energy. According to Mottley, energy sources such as the sun, water and wind should never be privatised just for a few. She reminded that some years ago: “we asked our people to share in the burden of adjustment,” a reference to the recent wages freeze in that country and quipped that in the inverse when there is bounty, the citizenry should share in the prosperity, “they must share when the bounty is there.”
Noting that the facts speak for themselves, the Barbadian Prime Minister used the occasion to convey to stakeholders that Barbados too is moving towards the exploration of its potential offshore resources but this has not distracted from its commitment for net zero emissions and targets. Accepting that Natural Gas is a potential bridge in the energy transition, Mottley noted that taking into account Barbados’ own exploration, the leaders of the world must realise that the decisions to be taken is a complex discussion. “With most things in life we are not a single-issue people; the complexity of conversation requires maturity.”
To this end, she sought to remind the conference that Guyana and Barbados have been the victims of colonisation and exploitation and posited that regrettably, instead of the developed world filling the gap, the disparity has been perpetuated. According to Mottley, at present the world faces not only a medical crisis but energy and energy transition crises and a climate crisis that threaten the very fabric of society.
She was adamant, however, that with the challenges there are both threats and opportunities for the people of the region but in order to protect against the threats while taking advantage of the status quo, in order to achieve growth, governments must create policies that incentivise the use of the region’s energy resources. CARICOM countries, she reminded have embarked on a mission to chart a sustainable energy future.
The Barbadian PM reminded that as a Region, there is bountiful renewable energy potential much like Africa, which is blessed with the power of the sun, wind, water and more. With this in mind, she noted that the Caribbean has always been vulnerable to acts of nature such as volcanoes, earthquakes and hurricanes coupled with the threats of climate change such as rising sea levels and temperatures.”We are more vulnerable to rising temperatures and sea levels than most others,” she told the conference, cautioning that “the energy transition that must occur if the world is not looking to burn up; is a complex conversation.”
With this in mind, she reminded of Barbados’ commitment to being carbon neutral by 2035. Expanding on her country’s push to achieve this, Mottley noted that Barbados at present hosts one of the highest densities of Electric vehicles, Buses and complementing charging stations per capita in the world.
She said her country has also replaced 88 percent of their street lights with LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) in addition to the use of solar on all public buildings, the use of offshore wind and marine power and wave energy technology among other sources such as the development of hydrogen. “We are also conscious that there is a need for us to maximise the solar revolution,” Mottley said, adding that Barbados 50 years ago started a process of using solar water heaters for hot water in homes.

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