By: Kimberly Ramkhalawan
November 25, 2022
The Caribbean when compared to other parts of the world, has 90 percent electricity. However, there still remains a disparity in accessing electricity in many parts of the region. This was the primary focus of an all day Energy Access workshop hosted by the Belize, as CARICOM Agency, Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE) as it observes CARICOM Energy month which runs throughout the month of November. This year, their theme is ‘Our Future is Electric’ which it says seeks to explore how renewable energy and energy efficient technologies can take us towards a sustainable, climate-resilient future for the Caribbean Community.
Ryan Cobb, Energy Director at Belize’s Ministry of Public Service, Energy and Public Utilities, opening remarks shared that electricity is something many in the capital city of Belmopan and other parts of the country might take for granted. However, there are many that do not have these luxuries to flip a switch and get powered lights and appliances, and while Cobb says it might be viewed as a luxury, it is truly a necessity, as energy access is foundational to being an economic driver as it fuels key components to help lift people out of poverty.
Cobb says the Belize Energy and Utilities ministry is trying to put together a comprehensive strategy which will be part of a policy that is being currently updated with the aim of completion set at the first quarter of 2023. He says they intend to use a mix of grid extensions using micro and hybrid systems in collaboration with the national distribution company, Belize Electricity Limited.
To date, BEL has taken oversight of five villages to ensure they are supplied with electricity having been placed on a micro grid, while there are two other micro grids currently being worked on, with one scheduled for deployment.
All of this Cobb says is aligned with government’s vision of Plan Belize and how it can achieve universal access in accordance with the SDGs outlined by the UN.
Defining what is Energy Access, Dr. Devon Gardiner from CCREEE, says it has to do with the circumstances of each country and each community. He says CCREEE was established with the purpose to design the region’s way forward in sustainable and renewable energy, charting the course for itself.
With the region 90 percent electrified there is a common misconception that the Caribbean does not have an energy problem, but Dr. Gardiner says when you are part of the other 10 percent living without electricity, it matters. He says apart from the issue of access, what is also not seen by outsiders, is the issue of affordability , as the Caribbean ranks highest in the world, with some of the most expensive energy rates, coming in second next to the Pacific. He says the average cost comes in at north of US$0.33 per kWatt per hour, a figure that also takes into consideration rates held by Trinidad and Tobago such as US$0.055kWatt per hour, and Suriname which charges US$0.09 KWatt per hour, some of the lowest in the region.
Changing times, means the region must really try to figure out within the framework of impending projections of climate change, inclusive of global temperature rise, the need to adapt human systems to the threats that come with this change, and this includes how the region handles its food, water and energy resources.
Analysis shows that even as the world hurls toward 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals deadline nears, 58 percent of the energy use is likely to be produced by electricity, and therefore Dr. Gardiner anticipates the world remaining heavily electrified for some years ahead. Currently 18 percent of electricity in use is electrified, nevertheless he says a measure of heating can now be more efficient and easily accessed, compared to previous times, where heating was preferred to be done using oil and coal rather than electricity, as with technology changes, electrical provision of heating has now become more efficient that it was ten years ago.
The capacity of electricity that countries have available is what will tell them how much they can do economically, as energy equals the level of services you are able to offer and grow business sectors. He added that lighting provided in the night also meant a level of security felt among residents, while allowing them to lead productive lives, working at night. Building up this access should meet six different categories listed, including capacity, the amount of Wattage available to operate large appliances, availability of service hours per day, reliability of the service without disruptions, quality which refers to stable voltage and stable frequency supplies, affordability, formality of billing cycle, as well as health and safety which is the number of accidents that occur in providing this service.
Glynn Morris from LAIT UP Belize Technical Assistance Project remarked of the importance in sharing this kind of information among CARICOM states, as it could aid eachother in setting up similar projects that achieve electricity for all.
Morris views having access to energy as an equity issue, regardless of where citizens live. He says the other important question is standardization, where electricity is seen as power, and not something stuck in a silo. The standards he says are outlined in the United Nations multi-tiered framework for the levels of service, a four-tiered multiframework for electricity. He expressed his pleasure in the government of Belize along with CARICOM working to establish the framework, to ensure not just the technical issues in delivering, but measuring, having confidence that they are making progress to plan effectively going forward.
As the Belize government looks to update its National Energy policy, a green paper following the discussions had during the workshop will be laid ahead of the project for decentralization of energy resources undertaken across Belize and spearheaded by its Ministry of Public Utilities , Energy, Logistics & E-Governance, while funded part by the European Union.