“Electric utilities are aware of the need to adapt to the realities of today’s environment, as well as to chart the course for the future.”

So says Chairman of CARILEC, Thornley Myers during the opening ceremony of the 2013 Renewable Energy Forum at Hilton Barbados.

Myers was addressing over 100 delegates, including utility technical experts and their stakeholders, who have convened in Barbados from the Caribbean and around the world to discuss the latest trends in renewable energy and the way forward for the region.

He said that over the past four years the cost of solar PV systems had fallen by approximately 40 percent. He went on to state that beyond hydro and wind energy sources they were also considering “biomass and the immense possibilities for geothermal.”

King, however, expressed concerns in relation to the drafting of local legislation for the energy sector, stating that it must take into consideration its socio-economic implications, particularly the impact it can have on future foreign direct investment decisions.

He went on to outline safety, reliability, power quality and cost-effectiveness as core principles of any transition to the use of RE sources; adding that concomitant with this effort must be actions that are targeted at reducing emissions and environmental degradation.

“In some of our countries the talent pool from which such regulators can be drawn may not be as extensive as in others. This may well lead to developing a CARICOM pool of regulators, in keeping with our current ideas about national and regional self-sufficiency… as a matter of urgency we have to train our talent pool for the region.”

The conference ends Wednesday September 19 after two intense days of much talk and little action, except reviewing consumers’ fees despite UK crude oil rates dropping general caucuses and breakout sessions led by renewable energy exemplars from across the globe.