Caribbean islands agree to shift from diesel to renewables

New York Times : At a meeting organized by Richard Branson’s nonprofit Carbon War Room, several Caribbean nations agreed to transition from using diesel generators for the production of electricity to using renewable sources such as wind or solar. Power generation in the Caribbean is expensive because of the islands’ small populations and the lack of local resources and modern infrastructure. Several of the nations had already begun examining alternative power sources. Aruba has built a wind farm, the British Virgin Islands are examining waste-to-energy plants and converting streetlights to LEDs, and St. Lucia is adding solar panels to buildings to contribute to the grid. As part of the deal, Branson has agreed to install solar and wind farms on his private island to provide 80% of the island’s energy as a proof of concept for the other islands.