( Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum Press Release) The Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum (CREF), the largest annual gathering of the regional clean energy market, today announced eight winners for its second annual CREF Industry Awards. The winners were recognised on stage at the 10th CREF in Miami.

New Energy Events, the organisers of CREF, developed the awards to recognise the leaders in the Caribbean energy sector who are making a lasting impact on resilient and renewable energy. Many award winners are first-movers, forging a path for project development in the region.

“Ten years ago, projects of any description in the Caribbean were few and far between,” said Matthew Perks, CEO of New Energy Events. “That we can now generate awards for eight impactful projects is evidence of just how far the market has come in the past decade. The awards serve to underscore the trajectory of the market, but also to provide a benchmark for excellence in the development of renewables across the region.”

“2018 has been another growth year for renewables.” said Advisory committee member Adam Carter, Managing Director, Head – Investment Banking, CIBC FirstCaribbean. “The nominees, many of them first-movers, made vital contributions to the Caribbean energy sector, and we saw strong innovation and collaboration across the board. With the continued tenacity and innovation of organizations like these, the Caribbean’s switch to a clean and resilient energy grid will be much sooner than many thought possible.”

The awards programme drew candidates from across the Caribbean region, including Turks and Caicos, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Haiti. The selected award winners represent the entities who have had a profound impact on the region’s clean energy development.

Award recipients were chosen by an industry-leading Advisory Committee including Chris Burgess, Director of Projects, Rocky Mountain Institute; Nils Janson, Executive Vice President, Castalia Advisors; Jennifer DeCesaro, Acting Director of Technology to Market Program, U.S. Department of Energy; Adam Carter, Managing Director, Head – Investment Banking, CIBC FirstCaribbean; Emily Chessin, Senior Associate, The Cadmus Group; Doug Hewson, Managing Partner, Portland Private Equity; and Julie Taylor, Editorial Director, New Energy Events.

THE WINNERS OF CREF 2018 INDUSTRY AWARDS:
• Lifetime Achievement in Energy Leadership: Tessa Williams Robertson

Utility Scale Solar: Monte Plata Solar, Dominican Republic
• Energy Storage Project: Andres and Los Mina Advancion Energy Storage Arrays, Dominican
Republic
• Distributed Generation Project: FortisTCI U.O.R.E and C.O.R.E Program, Turks and Caicos
• Microgrid: Mirebalais Hospital, BHI and SMA Sunbelt as technical partner, Haiti
• Energy Efficiency Project: Caribbean Hotel Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Programme (CHENACT)
• Project Addressing Social and Environmental Impacts: UNICEF Haiti, 10Power, 121, SMA,
Haiti
• Energy Leadership MVP: Leroy Abraham, CEO, British Virgin Islands Electricity Corporation

For more information, please contact Julie Taylor at [email protected].
For more information on CREF, please visit the event hub at http://newenergyevents.com/cref/
For general media enquiries, please contact Arabella Stickels at [email protected]