The Impact of Remittances on Renewable and Non-renewable Energy Consumption in Jamaica

Using annual data from 1980 to 2019, we explore the impact of remittance inflows (remittances) on renewable and non-renewable energy consumption in Jamaica. We apply statistically adequate vector error correction and vector autoregression models. There are two primary findings. First, we find that an increase in remittances is associated with a decrease in renewable energy consumption within an error correction model, which suggests a long-run negative relationship between remittances and renewable energy consumption. Second, an increase in remittances is associated with an increase in non-renewable energy consumption in the short run; no cointegrating relationship is detected. One implication of our finding is that Jamaica could strengthen policies that encourage the consumption of renewables while discouraging the consumption of non-renewables. These policies should apply to not only remittance-receiving households but also energy consumers in general to enhance the uptake of renewable energy.