Barbados towards 100% Renewable Energy: Case Scenarios for 2030 National Energy Target Plans

Abstract

The integration of renewable energy (RE) into the overall energy mix of Caribbean nations has been increasing in recent times. The volatile nature of the carbon-based industry through fluctuations in prices of fossil fuel based-products renders it necessary to promote an aggressive energy profile transition to renewable energy, as this is crucial to energy security in these vulnerable Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The nation of Barbados has notably understood this reality and, as such, its government has endorsed the approach of 100% RE implementation by 2030. This paper explores three distinctive annual growth rate (AGR) scenarios to assess the impact on the expected power generation, economic and environmental parameters through the period of 2019-2030. Notable findings at a high case scenario for 2030 (at an AGR of 3%) projects a power generation of 1.343 Tera-watts-hour (TWh), which will displace 790,500 barrels of oil equivalent (boe), resulting in an abatement of approximately 0.95 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.