14 November 2015: The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) hosted the fifth CARICOM Energy Week (CEW) under the theme ‘EmPOWERING Our Sustainable Development.’ The annual awareness-raising event highlights the importance of energy for economic development in the region. To mark CEW, the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE) was inaugurated, and a baseline report for the Caribbean Sustainable Energy Roadmap and Strategy (C-SERMS) was released.

CEW was held 8-14 November 2015, with CARICOM member States hosting events, such as panel discussions, site visits to renewable energy projects, the Electric Mobility Show and Conference, and activities with local schools. The Week also featured contests, such as a radio pop quiz with prizes, kilo-walk, energy app competition, video competition, and photo and art competition.

In anticipation of CEW, CCREEE was established in Barbados on 28 October 2015, per a decision of the 36th Regular Meeting of the Heads of Government of CARICOM. As a regional think tank and implementation hub, CCREEE is part of a worldwide network of regional sustainable energy centers for small island developing States (SIDS) that are working to promote sustainable development. CCREEE will primarily focus on implementing C-SERMS and helping member States fulfill their intended contributions under the UNFCCC, in addition to facilitating the achievement of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) initiative goals.

Pradeep Monga, Special Representative of the Director General on Energy at the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), which helped develop the Centre, explained that CCREEE is “a critical mechanism for up-scaling national efforts, particularly in the areas of project execution, capacity development, and knowledge and data management, as well as investment and business promotion, within the sustainable energy sector.”

In conjunction with the Centre’s inauguration, the Worldwatch Institute launched the C-SERMS Baseline Report and Assessment, which analyzes the region’s current energy policy framework, evaluates renewable energy and energy efficiency potential, and suggests regional short-, medium- and long-term targets for the energy sector. Among the recommended targets are achieving 48% of electricity generation from renewable energy by 2027 and a 33% reduction in the region’s energy intensity. [CEW Website] [CARICOM Secretariat Website] [UNIDO Press Release] [Worldwatch Institute Press Release] [Worldwatch Institute Publication Webpage] [Caribbean Sustainable Energy Roadmap and Strategy (C-SERMS) Baseline Report and Assessment]