US envoy: Trade show will boost Trinidad and Tobago clean energy

US Ambassador Candace Bond has described leading a delegation of Caribbean companies to the largest renewable energy trade show in North America as “an important moment.”

The delegation, which included US embassy staff from throughout the Caribbean and 70 renewable energy business and government leaders, attended RE+.

RE+ aims to spread the word about the latest in the smart energy industry, including solar and wind energy. The five-day long event took place from September 11-14 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

A US embassy spokesman said the event was part of a US Department of Commerce programme that connects foreign buyers to US products and services.

This year’s edition broke records, with over 40,000 clean energy professionals present and more than 1,300 exhibitors showcasing renewable energy products, technologies, and solutions.

Experts in various fields including carbon reduction strategies, financing and capital investment, and sustainable energy gave presentations.

The Caribbean-based delegation networked for multiple days in direct contact with US suppliers and stakeholders in the industry. The delegation included officials from TT, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.

During the RE+ Global Markets Summit, Bond shared information about renewable energy investment opportunities in TT to US developers and suppliers.

She highlighted how investment in the TT energy market has the potential to increase renewable energy generation, decarbonise energy exports, and enable an energy transition that creates jobs and stimulates the economy.

The embassy said the event was an important opportunity to further TT’s energy transition and Caribbean energy security and provided even more avenues for collaboration and investment between the US and TT.

Bond led the delegation with the goal of advancing the US-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis 2030 (PACC2030).

PACC 2030 is a US government initiative aimed at tackling climate change and energy security in the Caribbean by advancing climate adaptation and resilience and clean energy programmes across the region.

Speaking after the conference, Bond said, “RE+ was an important moment for US and Trinbagonian companies to benefit from clean energy innovation and growth. I was thrilled to share with American companies the renewable energy possibilities in the Caribbean and to showcase TT’s immense potential to complement its historic energy production with clean energy.”

Bond announced she would be leading the delegation when she spke at the launch of the Caribbean Climate Investment Program (CCIP) at the Hilton last month.

The CCIP will provide US$6 million in grants for small and micro-enterprises willing to aid in the shift to renewable energy across the region. The programme is a collaboration between USAID and the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce. It aims to mobilise private-sector financing for solutions that advance climate-change mitigation and adaptation goals across the Caribbean.