CCREEE Takes on Energy Challenges

Dr Gary Jackson, Executive Director of The Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency (CCREEE) is on a mission to deliver cost-effective, reliable and sustainable power to every home in the Caribbean and judging by his extensive experience, Dr Gary Jackson is the perfect man to tackle the problem. Having worked as an academic, engineer and entrepreneur in the energy sector for over two decades, Jackson has a unique insight into both the problems and potential of this rapidly evolving space. Six months into his new role as head of the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency (CCREEE), Dr Jackson has hit the ground running, guiding the organisation as it works to educate the public, support bankable energy development projects and enable access to energy across the region. “I want to see people improve their lives through the work that we do,” says the native Jamaican, a former lecturer at the University of the West Indies and founder of the Caribbean Energy Solution Research Institute. “I want to understand how things work and ask the right questions so I can inform others. There is a lack of information on both the public and the private sides. Once we have the information we can have the right discussions. “We need the right framework and the right policies. We need to build capacity and start producing. We cannot keep being countries that import fuel and do not do anything ourselves. The way to do that is through teamwork. CCREEE is going to be interfacing with all sectors of society  the public, the private, the man on the street. We are focusing on the people of this region.”

Barriers to growth

CCREEE was first established by CARICOM in 2015 and formally ratified in April 2018. Based in Barbados, it aims to transform energy provision in the Caribbean. But to get there, the team must first tackle the many obstacles that have so far stymied progress. High energy costs, environmentally-harmful practices, unreliable provision of services and a lack of industry innovation have all contributed to minimal growth and progress in the sector. But change is on the horizon. 

By 2027, the Caribbean Sustainable Energy Roadmap and Strategy wants 47 per cent of the region’s total electricity generation to come from renewable sources. It’s an optimistic target, but one that is within reach according to Dr Jackson who says: “That target is ambitious given where we are today but I believe that once you have the will, you can get it done. It will take a strong and aggressive effort. We need to make sure we have a fair, transparent and all-inclusive enabling environment in place.”

And this environment can only be created in an atmosphere in which participants are willing, and well-informed. Dr Jackson says the conversation around energy has been limited in the past, but is going more mainstream as costs rise and people become more aware of the need to make changes, starting in their homes. “Energy has never been sexy,” he says. “People run up phone bills but they don’t complain in the same way because a phone has its apps and can do all these things for them. Energy is seen as just a means to an end. It is changing though. People look at cost and, at the end of the day, the bill is always the factor that makes people think about how they use energy. They now want to change how they operate their households.”

Personal responsibility is a key element in solving the Caribbean’s energy woes, but it’s not the only part of the puzzle. Governments and the private sector also have a part to play as the region’s national grids struggle to keep up with demand.

Realistic renewables

Governments across the Caribbean have been paying lip service to renewable energy generation for decades, but new technologies and intensified climate concerns are putting pressure on leaders to turn words into action.

Dr Jackson is happy to see the shift and notes that a lack of information, will and resources have held back uptake of renewables which are now coming to the forefront. “I am optimistic. If the Caribbean has the will to change, it will happen. We cannot just say it, we have to do it. We could be further ahead than we are, but we need to demonstrate leadership.”

The three renewables with the most promise are solar, wind and geothermal, according to Dr Jackson who cautions that a single source will not sustain the Caribbean’s energy needs but rather a diversified approach is needed. “Renewables will replace conventional fossil fuel but we need to see how to get that transition done. One renewable energy cannot change the energy landscape of a country. It will take collaboration between technologies and collaboration between people.”

Saint Lucia is putting this into practice with a focus on both solar and geothermal power. With the government pledging to use renewable sources for 35 per cent of all its energy needs by 2020, LUCELEC and partners broke ground on a US$ 20mn solar farm in September 2017. In addition, the government completed an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for potential geothermal energy exploration in Soufriere last year. In this regard, Saint Lucia is playing catch-up with Dominica which recently received millions in international development financing to construct a 7MW geothermal power plant.

“Most of the Eastern Caribbean has the potential for geothermal,” says Dr Jackson. “If exploited properly, that resource is sustainable and will be a major game-changer.”

Other future game-changers include tidal power and Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) which uses the difference in temperature between deep and shallow water to generate electricity. “Those are very new in terms of their scale and replicability but we should not discount them,” says Dr Jackson. “We should look at how they can be exploited, how we can use them effectively and how they can be part of the solution.”

An energetic future

There is no solution without the next generation, according to Dr Jackson who is heavily inspired by his teacher mother who passed away at the end of last year. Continuing her legacy of educating and engaging young people, Dr Jackson wants to make schoolchildren a fundamental part of CCREEE’s mission and says: “There is going to be a lot of transformation in the future. We are arriving at a turning point where things are going to move a lot faster than they have been. 

“When you look at the kids and what they are doing, you realise they have the potential to drive this transformation. They are going to be the force to be reckoned with. It’s not about us. It’s about the generation following us. We should give them the tools, information and encouragement they need.

“My mother was always proud of me and I always admired how she focused on children in her work. Today I try to remember that. The youth have great ideas and we should listen to them. They have so much to offer and they are a big part of the change to come.”