The OECS "Training and Certification of Photovoltaic Installers and Electrical Inspectors" Project
Building capacity in solar energy in the Eastern Caribbean
Using renewable energy is one of the key solutions to address climate change, foster disaster resilience and reduce utility bills. Solar energy in the Eastern Caribbean is free and abundant. This energy can be harvest by the simple installation of Photovoltaic Systems (PV) on every roof exposed to the sun.
The installation of this 'energy power plant' can be completed by competent Photovoltaic System Technicians who will be able to set up a professional Solar PV System followed by Photovoltaic System Inspectors who will ensure the quality of the installation.
The OECS Solar Photovoltaic Training coordinated by the OECS Sustainable Energy Unit aimed to develop the use of solar energy in the Eastern Caribbean. Thanks to this training, 228 technicians and inspectors who were already working in the area of solar energy in the Eastern Caribbean without certification have now a recognized expertise in electrical installations.
The INTERREG Energy Transition in the Caribbean (INTERREG TEC) Project
The INTERREG Energy Transition in the Caribbean (INTERREG ETC) Project is a €3,6 million project co-funded by the INTERREG Caraïbes programme under the European Regional Development Fund. The main objective of the project is to foster energy transition in the OECS Member States. escially through the reduction of energy consumption of commercial buildings and the development of geothermal energy.
INTERREG ETC also focuses on strengthening the resilience of current energy systems to extreme weather events caused by climate change, through advanced regional cooperation between English-speaking OECS Member States and French speaking Associate Members.
The INTERREG ETC Project led by the Regional Council of Guadeloupe, gathers together multiple partners including the OECS through the OECS Sustainable Energy Unit, the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME) and the French Geological Survey (BRGM).
The project was launched in 2019 and should be completed by the end of December 2022.
Project Status and Accomplishments to Date
Beneficiary Countries:
The INTERREG ETC project mainly aims to accelerate the energy transition in all the OECS Member States: Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Martinique and Guadeloupe.
Goals
The INTERREG ETC Project pursues two (2) key objectives, including:
- supporting the transition towards a low-carbon economy by reducing energy consumption in buildings, promoting innovative means of transportation, and developing geothermal energy and,
- strengthening the diversification of the economies of the participating countries and territories.
Activities
The activities below are currently being implemented as part of the INTERREG ETC project in order to foster energy transition in the Eastern Caribbean:
- the conduction of an analysis on the energy performance of commercial buildings in order to make recommandations,
- the completion of a multi-criteria comparison accross participating countries and territories along with an inventory of the energy regulations in place,
- the completion of an inventory of public transportation policies for energy transition in the OECS Member States, along with a prefeasibility study on the retrofit of existing internal combustion vehicules to electric vehicles,
- the development and implementation of the Geothermal Centre of Excellence and the Geothermal Development Mechanism,
- the completion of a study on innovative methods in the area of exploration of deep and superficial geothermal energy and,
- the coordination of training programmes and capacity building activities.
Resources on Sustainable Energy in the Eastern Caribbean
Access more resources on Sustainable Energy in the Eastern Caribbean via the OECS Library.
Our partners in Sustainable Energy in the Eastern Caribbean
The OECS, through the Sustainable Energy Unit partnered with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) through its Sustainable Energy for Eastern Caribbean (SEEC) programme. Funding was provided by the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The partner in charge of the implementation of the project was Green Solutions International Saint Kitts and Nevis Incorporated (GSI).
Contact the OECS Sustainable Energy Unit
Programme Director- Sustainable Energy
Tel: +1 (758) 455-6350
Email: judith.ephraim@oecs.int
Learn more on Sustainable Energy in the Eastern Caribbean
The OECS is working in close collaboration with all the Ministries of its Member States on all matters related to Public Health in the Eastern Caribbean. The Council of Ministers of Health is hosted once a year. This meeting aims to harmonize the strategy in Public Health in the OECS Member states.
