World Earth Day 2025 - Powering a sustainable Caribbean

BAVINA SOOKDEO

Every year on April 22, World Earth Day is celebrated. This year, the global theme Our Power, Our Planet rings especially relevant for the Caribbean – where the urgency of climate change meets the promise of renewable energy integration.

For Prof Sanjay Bahadoorsingh HBM, an expert in power systems and sustainable energy at The University of the West Indies at the St Augustine Campus, the theme goes far beyond symbolism.

“This theme resonates deeply with me because it underscores both our collective responsibility and efforts to shape a sustainable energy future.

“As an electrical engineer with a passion for power systems and sustainable energy, I see ‘Our Power’ as more than the electrical power generation but choices that we make to transition towards this sustainable energy future. ‘Our Planet’ reminds us that energy decisions today have global consequences, especially for vulnerable regions like the Caribbean.”

As an engineer, academic and policy advisor, Bahadoorsingh has had a front-row seat to the global clean energy conversation. He views the Earth Day call to triple renewable energy generation by 2030 as ambitious but attainable – if the world acts swiftly and together.

Overcoming challenges

“Achieving this very ambitious goal is possible, but it will require unprecedented collaboration and effort.” Bahadoorsingh explained that there are several challenges – “One of the key challenges is grid modernisation, as many power systems currently lack the technological infrastructure that brings the flexibility needed to integrate high shares of variable renewable energy sources like solar and wind.

“Additionally, investment barriers pose a significant obstacle, particularly in emerging economies that struggle with limited access to financing and inadequate risk-sharing mechanisms. Policy and regulatory hurdles further complicate progress, with slow permitting processes and outdated utility models delaying necessary transitions often leading to missed targets, increased deployment costs and other technical bottlenecks.”

Bahadoorsingh also pointed to geopolitical headwinds: “Compounding these challenges are the recent shifts in US energy policy, including the stated intention to revive coal-fired generation and the withdrawal from the Paris Accord. This move not only represents a departure from major carbon reduction commitments but also now makes uncertain critical funding sources that were expected to support global climate efforts. Without coordinated action and renewed commitment, these obstacles could severely hinder progress toward a sustainable energy future.”

Despite such hurdles, Trinidad and Tobago has made visible progress. Bahadoorsingh explained that while our heavy reliance on natural gas presents challenges, it also creates a unique opportunity to diversify our energy mix through strategic investments in renewables, energy storage and recently, hydrogen.

“With progressive policies and targeted funding, we can accelerate the transition to a more sustainable energy future while maintaining energy security.

“Momentum is building,” Bahadoorsingh affirmed, citing the 92-megawatt solar photovoltaic (PV) Lara Project – developed through a consortium of bpTT, Shell, and Lighthouse bpTT – as “a hallmark step toward grid-scale renewable integration in the Caribbean.”

He further highlighted, “Grant-funded initiatives, such as European Union backed standalone solar PV systems have expanded energy access. Preliminary wind resource assessments are underway at select sites across the country, laying the groundwork for future wind energy adoption.”

Caribbean vulnerability to climate change

With the Caribbean acutely vulnerable to climate change, Bahadoorsingh believes the region can emerge as a global example. “As small island developing states with abundant solar, wind and marine resources, our region can pioneer a new model of sustainable development that integrates clean energy transition with climate resilience and innovative financing.”

He emphasised the potential of carbon credits to fund renewable initiatives, such as “utility-scale solar farms, community microgrids and ocean energy pilots. We can generate crucial funding to reinvest in grid modernisation and climate-proof infrastructure.” The Caribbean, he noted, is uniquely positioned to link emissions reduction with adaptation co-benefits by pairing projects like “mangrove restoration with offshore wind projects or developing hurricane-resistant renewable installations.”

Given our region’s vulnerability to climate change, what role can the Caribbean play in demonstrating leadership or innovation in renewable energy adoption?

Posed with this question, Bahadoorsingh said, “We must establish regional standards through Caricom to ensure carbon projects meet both international quality benchmarks and local development needs, while creating mechanisms to aggregate smaller initiatives into investment ready portfolios,” pointing out that this approach would allow us in the Caribbean to address our energy security challenges but also position the Caribbean as a leader for climate solutions; demonstrating how vulnerable nations can leverage carbon markets to achieve both mitigation and adaptation goals.

Policy reform

With extensive experience in shaping national electrical codes and vehicle standards, Bahadoorsingh underscored the urgent need for policy reform to drive TT’s renewable energy transition.

“To accelerate renewable energy adoption locally, several key policy and regulatory reforms are urgently needed,” he said.

“First, amending laws to facilitate implementing feed-in tariffs or net billing schemes would incentivise distributed solar by ensuring fair compensation for excess energy fed back into the national grid. Second, the further development and enforcement of comprehensive standards for solar PV installations covering safety, grid code for interoperability and performance standards for equipment available in the market. Third, the licensing process for renewable projects must be streamlined and transparent to encourage investments.”

Looking ahead, Bahadoorsingh stressed that the electricity grid access framework should be reviewed to potentially accommodate large power projects through wheeling arrangements. “These changes, combined with proactive grid modernisation planning would create a regulatory environment that actively supports TT’s transition to a cleaner energy future.”

Shaping the energy future

TT is beginning to chart its course toward cleaner transportation, but building a truly renewable-powered mobility system demands more than early efforts. “Achieving a fully functional e-mobility ecosystem requires urgent coordinated policy action across transport and energy sectors and targeted investments to create an enabling environment for sustainable electrification,” Bahadoorsingh explained. “To accelerate adoption, government incentives like tax breaks for electric vehicles (EV) imports and local charging infrastructure installation are critical to make EVs particularly for fleets more accessible.” The professor stressed, however, that true sustainability demands renewable synergy and we must ensure charging stations source significant energy from renewables, rather than simply shifting the load to gas-fired generation.

“The transition should prioritise public transport electrification through pilot projects for electric buses on key routes like the Port of Spain to Chaguanas corridor and electric ferries between islands, which would have immediate emissions reduction impacts. These efforts must be supported by comprehensive EV standards covering harmonising charging protocols, battery repurpose and disposal, possible time-of-use tariffs to incentivise charging during specific periods as well as future opportunities for vehicle to everything (V2X) integration” he stated.

Academic institutions also have a vital role in shaping the energy future. “While research at institutions like The UWI is advancing TT’s renewable energy knowledge, we urgently need more hands-on, youth driven initiatives to bridge the gap between theory and real-world impact.”

Bahadoorsingh suggested that academic institutions go beyond traditional lectures by fully integrating renewable energy and climate literacy across all disciplines. “This can range from engineering students designing solar microgrids to business students developing green financing models and communications students crafting advocacy campaigns. This exciting interdisciplinary approach would create a generation of well-rounded sustainability citizens.”

To spark innovation, Bahadoorsingh noted that there are opportunities for public private partnerships to launch clean energy challenges where student teams compete to solve real-world, local problems such as designing affordable solar powered equipment for farmers or creating apps to track energy use and performance, with seed funding for the most promising ideas. “We need culturally savvy public outreach campaigns that make sustainability relatable partnering with youth influencers, artists and athletes to showcase renewable energy in action discussing the benefits through social media.”

Cross-border collaboration

Cross-border collaboration, he stressed, is crucial. “Our shared Caribbean challenges which include limited financial resources, energy security, climate vulnerability and island power systems make regional cooperation essential for accelerating progress.” Through partnerships, the region can “pool technical expertise, harmonise standards and achieve economies of scale in renewable technology procurement that would be impossible alone.”

He further noted that the Caribbean’s collective experiences with solar integration, battery storage pilots and hurricane-resilient infrastructure create a valuable knowledge base that we all can both contribute to and learn from.

“Regional alignment on grid codes, EV charging standards and workforce certifications enables smoother technology transfer and creates larger markets that attract investment. Moreover, a unified Caribbean narrative in global forums, offers greater negotiating power for climate financing and policy reforms. Rather than reinventing the wheel, strategic collaboration allows us to adapt proven solutions from neighbouring islands while sharing our own related initiatives and innovations. The Caribbean’s energy transition will succeed only if it is a collective approach.”

Proactive policies

When asked which technologies hold the most promise, Bahadoorsingh was optimistic saying that for TT, solar PV with battery storage represents the most immediate and high-impact renewable energy opportunity. He added that the combination of utility-scale solar and distributed rooftop systems with battery storage could rapidly reduce natural gas dependence while providing limited backup power during outages.

“In the medium term, offshore wind holds promise for diversifying our renewable generation mix, particularly along the coastlines” he explained. “Green hydrogen may emerge as a strategic longer-term play, leveraging our existing LNG expertise and infrastructure to potentially export clean fuels or decarbonise heavy transport. Most importantly, none of these technologies will reach their potential without parallel investments in grid modernisation, workforce training and implementation of proactive policies.”

Shaping our future

The professors Earth Day message is both simple and urgent: “We each are a piece of the solution and collective action is non-negotiable.”

To policymakers, he urged, “Be bold and prioritise long-term sustainability over short-term gains. You must accelerate renewable energy targets, reform fossil fuel subsidies and create green job pathways.”

To educators: “Go beyond awareness and equip students with skills for the green economy including hands-on skills in renewable energy and electric vehicles, climate policy and circular design, fostering a generation of problem-solvers.”

To engineers: “You must push boundaries to innovate equitable solutions for our unique Caribbean context as energy access must be universal.”

To citizens: “Demand action, but also act responsibly and become active participants whether through solar adoption, efficient appliances and/or advocacy.”

“Remember,” he said, “‘Our Power, Our Planet’ means the future is shaped by the choices we make today.”