Options for an ambitious and sustainable energy transition in the Caribbean

Abstract

Islands are overlooked as sustainable renewable energy states because of reliability on fossil fuel imports and the scarcity of available land area, which might encounter difficulties in deployment. This study examinates the feasible possibility of a pathway towards a fully sustainable energy system for the Caribbean region by 2050. In this thesis, two scenarios were modelled using rooftop, ground-mounted and offshore floating solar photovoltaics as well as hydropower, geothermal, bioenergy and wind power technologies on a fully hourly resolution using the LUT Energy System Transition Model. This study shows that a fully renewable energy system is possible by 2040. Levelised cost of energy declined from 63.5 €/MWh in 2020 to 50.1 €/MWh in the BPS-1 scenario and 53.5 €/MWh in the BPS-2 scenario by 2050. This results clearly show that Caribbean islands can transition to a full renewable energy system at low-cost, without violating the principles of sustainable development. Ground-mounted and offshore solar photovoltaics will be the leading technologies to achieve the net-zero emissions within geographical and environmental constraints.