Jamaica Aims to Lead the Way Towards a Renewable Future in the Caribbean
On October 16, 2018, Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness officially commissioned a state-of-the-art solar installation atop his own office building in partnership with Solar Head of State. At the same event, Prime Minister Holness took the clean energy push a step further and revealed his intent to increase the renewable energy targets of the Caribbean nation beyond its already ambitious goals:
“I believe that we can do better. Jamaica has sunshine all year round and strong winds in certain parts of the island. I have directed the government to increase our target from 30% to 50%, and our energy company is in total agreement. So I believe that by 2030, Jamaica will be producing more than 50% of its electricity from renewables.”
Not only is the installation of solar panels on the Office of the Prime Minister itself an important and uplifting symbol for the people of Jamaica, but the emboldened ambition of Jamaican leaders to mandate renewable energy demonstrates the tangible results such projects can have on hastening clean energy goals more broadly.
Indeed, the solar panels on the Office of the Prime Minister, known as Jamaica House, represents a small part, truly just the beginning of the story.
Jamaica’s new installation and renewable pledge
When the planned installation of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system on Jamaica House was first announced, Prime Minister Holness told the world:
“This project is symbolic of the renewable future we see for Jamaica and the Caribbean. Islands like Jamaica are becoming leaders for demonstrating the development of solar technology, and I aim to lead by example, by installing solar PV on the Office of the Prime Minister, Jamaica House.”
Focusing on the specs of that installation, Jamaica House is now fitted with a 15 kilowatt (kW) solar PV array, comprising a host of 320 watt (W) solar modules from Solaria and microinverters from Enphase Energy. James Ellsmoor, the Director and Co-Founder of Solar Head of State, told Chester Energy and Policy that Jamaica House is a large building so 15 kW is just the beginning, based on what was available in the budget. However, Ellsmoor noted, the building is slowly undergoing an energy efficiency revamp and in the long term the Prime Minister intends to increase the total solar capacity beyond this demonstration installation.
The solar installation comes in partnership with Solar Head of State, a non-profit organization that aims to accelerate global solar adoption by providing opportunities for leaders to showcase the benefits of solar power. As detailed in my interview last month with Ellsmoor, Solar Head of State has completed similar projects with the President of Maldives and the Governor-General of Saint Lucia, demonstrating the increasing reach of these efforts to install solar on publicly recognizable buildings to spread awareness, education, and excitement for solar power.
Source: Solar Head of State
For the broader renewable energy goals, Jamaica had already established (as part of the Vision 2030 Jamaica National Development Plan) a target to generate 30% of the country’s electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030. Jamaica’s Minister of Energy already declared a year and a half ago that they were on track to reach that target ahead of schedule. Encouraged by that progress and inspired by successful projects like the solar installation on Jamaica House, Prime Minister Holness sees no reason to hedge their bets– instead, he is going all in and is aiming for 50% of electricity to come from renewable sources just over a decade from now.
Renewable transition in Jamaica by the numbers
Historically, Jamaica has not generated electricity from a diverse or clean energy mix. Instead, the island nation often relies on imported fossil fuels, chiefly diesel and other petroleum products. According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 0.112 quads of the 0.118 quads (95.0%) of primary energy consumed by Jamaica came from petroleum products in 2015 (the latest year for which data are available). Outside of petroleum, natural gas generated 0.003 quads (2.5%), leaving the remaining 0.003 quads (2.5%) to come from the category of “Nuclear, Renewables, and Other.”
Unfortunately, these figures are typical of small island developing states (SIDS) like Jamaica. In fact, most Caribbean nations rely on diesel and other fossil fuels for at least 90% of their power needs. Not only does this energy mix create some of the highest electricity prices in the world (up to four times greater than typical U.S. power prices), but it also creates energy resilience issues. The unfortunate reality for Jamaica and other SIDS is that their electric grids need to be more resilient and able to bounce back after extreme weather events. Renewable energy, combined with microgrid technologies, are key tools for island nations to keep the lights on and ensure safety in the wake of hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters.
The issue with an oil-dependent energy mix that matters the most to the people of Jamaica, though, is that such reliance on fossil fuels naturally comes with concerns about carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change and its potential to disrupt daily life are not a far away future concern for the people of Jamaica. If the world continues on the path of runaway emissions and resultant climate change, as direly forecast in the recent IPCC report on emissions and global warming, island nations will be the first to feel its effects in the form of rising seas, floods, loss of fresh water, more frequent and devastating hurricanes, threats to critical biospheres, harm to fish populations, and more. These effects would upend everyday life and prove critical threats to survival for these vulnerable nations, so Jamaica’s thirst for renewable energy is driven largely by such concerns for the climate.
Source: weADAPT
Symbolism of the day
In the end, though, the Caribbean Islands collectively emit less than 1% of the world’s greenhouse gases, compared with the top 10 global emitters who contribute 72% of the world’s emissions. Specifically, Jamaica ranks as 123rd globally in primary energy consumption and 153rd in primary energy production– so, while their energy mix is highly dependent on carbon-producing fossil fuels, the world is not necessarily relying on Jamaica (nor its Caribbean neighbors) to solve the climate crisis. But because the consequences of climate change will be felt most harshly and immediately in the Caribbean, taking action represents a moral imperative for these countries; they do not want to wait around for other nations to solve the problem, they choose to lead.
So, just like the 15 kW of solar power installed on Jamaica House will not alone make the country’s electric power sector green, Jamaica reaching 50% renewable energy by 2030 will not stave off global climate change on its own. But both actions are of the utmost importance because of the associated symbolism. Jamaica’s commitment and the solar installation on the Office of the Prime Minister exemplify the goals of Solar Head of State– to make world leaders into green leaders and to assemble a coalition of nations who will champion solar and other renewable solutions for sustainable development. The people of Jamaica and other SIDS take pride in not waiting for help, rather they want to be the leaders at the forefront of necessary change.
While the effect of pushing for a 50% renewable goal, instead of 30%, by 2030 is not enormous on a global scale, only eight nations (as of REN21’s 2017 Global Status Report) had committed to renewable energy targets as or more ambitious than 50% by 2030: Gabon, Guatemala, Iceland, Madagascar, Nauru, Norway, Sweden, and Vanuatu (note the inclusion of Nauru and Vanuatu, which are both SIDS like Jamaica and also have the most at stake).
Source: Jamaica Information Service
These actions towards a renewably powered future validate the type of action that’s possible and serve to set an important example for others, whether the example is for other buildings in Jamaica to install solar or for other nations to commit to ambitious renewable energy targets. The pessimist might dismiss these developments as small potatoes, but they instead represent seeds of change being planted in Jamaica’s fertile soil. Perhaps the best summary of the responsibility Jamaica feels to be a shepherd for protecting the planet from climate change comes from the final verse of their national anthem:
Teach us true respect for all
Stir response to duty’s call
Strengthen us the weak to cherish
Give us vision lest we perish
Knowledge send us, Heavenly Father,
Grant true wisdom from above
Justice, truth be ours forever
Jamaica, land we love
Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica, land we love