From TCI Weekly News

THE TCI deepened its commitment to advancing renewable energy by joining the Carbon War Room’s Ten Island Challenge on Thursday (October 16).

Premier Rufus Ewing, and Justin Locke, Carbon War Room’s operations director, signed a memorandum of understanding.

It committed to working together to reduce the Islands’ dependence on fossil fuels through increased renewable energy production and improved energy efficiency.

The Ten Island Challenge provides the Government with the opportunity and platform to define and realise its own vision of a clean economy.

In order to achieve this vision, the Carbon War Room, a global non-profit founded by Sir Richard Branson, and Rocky Mountain Institute will provide a range of technical, project management, communications, and business advisory support services.

Sir Richard Branson, co-founder of Carbon War Room, said: “With the addition of Turks and Caicos, the Ten Island Challenge continues to expand its efforts to transform Caribbean economies and help the region achieve independence from fossil fuels.”

The Ten Island Challenge works to accelerate the transition of Caribbean island economies from a heavy dependence on fossil fuels to renewable resources.

Caribbean economies suffer from some of the highest electricity prices in the world contributing to their national debts, and slowing efforts toward sustainable development.

Despite an abundance of sun and wind, Caribbean islands have implemented relatively low amounts of renewables to date.

The Ten Island Challenge, with partners Carbon War Room and Rocky Mountain Institute, is tackling this by identifying the technical and commercial solutions that can facilitate low-carbon energy use in the Caribbean.

In 2013, Sir Richard Branson committed his home of Necker Island, British Virgin Islands to serve as a ‘demo’ island in the challenge, and, in February of this year, US energy giant NRG Energy was awarded the contract to transition the island to renewables.

A press conference was held on Thursday with Premier Ewing and Locke when the agreement was signed.

The move builds on a commitment made by Governor Peter Beckingham at the Creating Climate Wealth Islands Summit in February.

During that conference the Turks and Caicos Islands expressed interest in joining the challenge.

He said: “I am under no illusions that converting some of TCI’s current 100 per cent dependency on fossil fuel will be challenging, but we must work closely with the utility Fortis to see how we and they can build on their initial plans for solar and wind power.”

The other countries that have committed to the challenge are Aruba, St Lucia, St Kitts, The British Virgin Islands and San Andres Province, Colombia.

Members of the Carbon War Room hope to get ten Caribbean countries to reduce their dependency on fossil fuels.

The Carbon War Room is a global non-profit, founded by Sir Richard Branson and a team of like-minded entrepreneurs.

It accelerates the adoption of business solutions that reduce carbon emissions at gigaton scale and advances the low-carbon economy.

The organisation focuses on solutions that can be realised using proven technologies under current policy landscapes.

Since 1982, Rocky Mountain Institute has advanced market-based solutions that transform global energy use to create a clean, prosperous and secure future.

An independent, non-profit thank-and-do tank, it engages with businesses, communities and institutions to accelerate and scale replicable solutions that drive the cost-effective shift from fossil fuels to efficiency and renewables.

For more information on the Carbon War Room visit www.carbonwarroom.com

For more on this story go to: http://tcweeklynews.com/tci-joins-the-caribbeans-renewable-energy-race-p5550-127.htm

IMAGE: cleantechies.com