
The Islands Energy Program team hasn’t found an instance yet “where importing natural gas, diesel, propane or other fossil fuel for power generation is cheaper than the combination of solar. . Three pillars support the program. The first is strategic planning that enables island governments, private and public-sector enterprises to undertake national clean energy transition programs. . Those characteristics led Shell to propose investing very large sums of capital to build out a 220–250-MW natural gas power plant. “It’s still early days. There’s no PPA [power purchase. [pdf]
Development of the four solar-fueled power systems will set the stage to scale the Family Islands solar program across the island chain’s outlying islands, as well as contribute to the Bahamas achieving a national goal of renewable energy resources meeting 30% of electricity needs by 2030.
The Puerto Rican islands of Vieques and Culebra will study the feasibility of achieving energy independence and resilience using rooftop and community solar power. DOE partners with these islands to provide renewable energy.
Distributed energy resources – or small-scale energy resources that are usually situated near sites of electricity use, such as rooftop solar – could play an important role in boosting the deployment of renewables on islands, increasing the security, resilience and affordability of power systems while accelerating decarbonisation.
Larger islands have the potential to generate hydro power—Fiji, PNG, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Samoa, and Vanuatu. The viability of solar power is limited on smaller islands due to land scarcity. However, an uptake of rooftop solar and/or offshore wind could be feasible.
Islands – including those that make up the group known as Small Island Developing States (SIDS) – also need to upgrade their energy infrastructure so that it is resilient to higher temperatures, more frequent natural disasters and flooding related to rising sea levels.
In addition to the Bahamas, the Islands Energy team is in the midst of assisting Caribbean island governments and utilities in five other jurisdictions craft and carry out clean, renewable energy transition: the British Virgin Islands (BVI), Belize, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Turks and Caicos. Three pillars support the program.

The Islands Energy Program team hasn’t found an instance yet “where importing natural gas, diesel, propane or other fossil fuel for power generation is cheaper than the combination of solar plus storage or other renewable energy systems,” Burgess highlighted. “Solar really is the least-cost option in the Bahamas today.. . Three pillars support the program. The first is strategic planning that enables island governments, private and public-sector enterprises to undertake national clean energy transition. . Those characteristics led Shell to propose investing very large sums of capital to build out a 220–250-MW natural gas power plant. “It’s still early days. There’s no PPA [power purchase. [pdf]
Tesla has announced their solar panels are nearly entirely powering the island of Ta'u in American Samoa. The island used to depend entirely on imported diesel fuel for its electricity, but a new initiative has seen the islanders build a 1.4-megawatt microgrid that absorbs and stores solar power for all their energy needs.
Development of the four solar-fueled power systems will set the stage to scale the Family Islands solar program across the island chain’s outlying islands, as well as contribute to the Bahamas achieving a national goal of renewable energy resources meeting 30% of electricity needs by 2030.
Now, the island runs on a completely renewable microgrid that meets 100% of residents’ energy needs through solar power and battery storage. In 2016, the founders of Maui, Hawaii-based company Mana Pacific helped design and implement Ta’u’s solar-energy microgrid composed of over 5,300 solar panels.
The experience was a substantial help for installing the Bahamas’ largest solar array at Chub Cay. Caribbean businesses on the island contend with exorbitant electricity prices, poor reliability and poor air quality from diesel-powered generators. Solar is a viable alternative at less than half the cost of conventional sources in the Caribbean.
Solar just makes sense in island conditions. Dependence on imported fuels, high electricity costs, increasingly devastating storms, and an urgent need for improved grid resiliency makes solar a clear choice for island nations and territories over the world. Solar just makes sense in island conditions.
In addition to the Bahamas, the Islands Energy team is in the midst of assisting Caribbean island governments and utilities in five other jurisdictions craft and carry out clean, renewable energy transition: the British Virgin Islands (BVI), Belize, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Turks and Caicos. Three pillars support the program.

The Islands Energy Program team hasn’t found an instance yet “where importing natural gas, diesel, propane or other fossil fuel for power generation is cheaper than the combination of solar plus storage or other renewable energy systems,” Burgess highlighted. “Solar really is the least-cost option in the Bahamas today.. . Three pillars support the program. The first is strategic planning that enables island governments, private and public-sector enterprises to undertake national clean energy transition programs. . Those characteristics led Shell to propose investing very large sums of capital to build out a 220–250-MW natural gas power plant. “It’s still early days. There’s no PPA [power purchase. [pdf]
Development of the four solar-fueled power systems will set the stage to scale the Family Islands solar program across the island chain’s outlying islands, as well as contribute to the Bahamas achieving a national goal of renewable energy resources meeting 30% of electricity needs by 2030.
Due to their geographic isolation, remote coastal and island communities often face high energy costs and vulnerable energy infrastructure due to their increased risk of natural disasters and climate change. Watch this video to learn more about the program.
Remote and island communities face several energy challenges, including unreliable power, lack of robust connections to mainstream power grids, and threats from strengthening storms.
An interactive, two-way grid is required given any grid-connected distributed solar or renewable energy, however, he added. “Studies have shown that the New Providence grid (which serves Nassau) can take at least 8 megawatts (MW) of solar without worrying about storage.
In addition to the Bahamas, the Islands Energy team is in the midst of assisting Caribbean island governments and utilities in five other jurisdictions craft and carry out clean, renewable energy transition: the British Virgin Islands (BVI), Belize, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Turks and Caicos. Three pillars support the program.
BPL Chairman Donovan Moxey was quoted in a Tribune Business news report. The Bahamas is a very difficult place to generate electricity, distribute it and sell it, even as compared to other Caribbean islands, Chris Burgess, Islands Energy Program projects director, told Solar Magazine.
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