The European Union Delegation in Barbados is going green. The organisation recently acquired an electric vehicle as part of its fleet.

Ambassador Daniela Tramacere said: “As one of the leading institutions championing the cause of green energy in the world the EU was delighted to enhance its fleet with a vehicle that helps to protect the environment from the emission of green-house gasses”.

Meanwhile, across Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean there are a number of programmes either ongoing or in the design phase which showcases the EUs’ support to the development of sustainable energy.

In Barbados, there is continuing support for the Public Sector Smart Energy Programme which will help to reduce Barbados’ fossil fuel dependency, promote sustainable energy and contribute to the country’s competitiveness. This initiative includes the installation of renewable energy systems in government buildings and retrofitting these buildings and street lights with energy efficiency technologies. The programme will also finance renewable energy pilot projects and assist with capacity building and public awareness in the energy sector.

Also in Barbados, to be unveiled later this year is the European Development Fund-financed Renewable Energy/Energy Efficiency Sector Budget Support Programme. The overall objective is to support Barbados in its efforts towards energy self-sufficiency from renewable resources, in line with the country’s international commitments of reducing Green House Gas emissions. The plan is for the private sector to get on board and become engaged in power generation through renewable energies, while consumers are educated to the point where they make increasingly use of energy efficiency measures.

There are also programmes to assist countries in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States reduce their dependency on fossil fuels by providing funding for renewable energy and energy efficiency investment as well as providing technical assistance in the form of project support, capacity building and institutional strengthening. The EU has already provided Dominica with financial assistance to explore the possibility of exploiting the country’s geothermal energy potential. In an effort to build on that initial success it is also funding a Geothermal Risk Mitigation Programme for the Eastern Caribbean. The objective is to develop Geothermal Energy (GE) in five of the Eastern Caribbean Countries. Technical assistance will be provided to build governments’ capacity to manage Geothermal projects. In addition, studies will be conducted on interconnection options for the export of electricity generated from Geothermal Energy.