Topics and Questions to be Answered

Regional grid interconnection (Augusto Bonzi, IDB)

  • What are the possible institutional frameworks that could drive grid interconnection?

  • What is the role of CARICOM?

  • Are there technical/operational issues that need to be resolved in individual territories?

  • Given the weak balance sheet of many regional utilities, what are possible financing mechanisms?

People, capacity and skills development (Reanti Singh, UWI)

  • What are the skills that are need at a regional level?

  • Role of regional educational/training institutions

  • Retraining existing workforce

  • CSME and free movement.

Emergent technologies - new wave, ocean, Ɵde currents (Ricardo Clarke, UWI)

  • What could be done to spark research into new technologies?

  • Do we need a mechanism regionally to encourage R&D into new technologies

  • How can we tap into global research networks to encourage pilot plant adoption in the Caribbean?

Emergent technologies - new biofuels & Low carbon fuels (Renique Murray, UWI)

  • What could be done to spark research into new technologies?

  • Do we need a mechanism regionally to encourage R&D into new technologies

  • How can we tap into global research networks to encourage pilot plant adoption in the Caribbean?

Climate and clean energy financing (Preeya Mohan, UWI)

  • What are the options to attract capital to the region for climate adaptation and mitigation?

  • Can we access carbon credits or other forms of green credits/offsets?

  • Will carbon border adjustment mechanisms

Energy efficiency and electricity pricing (Arvind Singh, UWI)

  • The current structure of the electricity sector makes it difficult to introduce renewables. Feed-in tariffs and other renewables will have a positive on the overall national finances (reduced natural gas use) but a negative impact on T&TEC finances: how can this be changed?

  • Low electricity prices mitigate against energy efficiency adoption by consumers.  Are there other ways to encourage adoption without price increases?

  • Is it possible to build public understanding and support for the need to revise electricity tariffs now and/or in the future?

Reducing venting/flaring and CCS (Lorraine Sobers, UWI)

  • How can we assure no natural gas is wasted?

  • Are there new technologies that could help capture and use methane currently vented or flared?

  • How could this potentially expensive gas be marketed (is there an opportunity to supply the high cost energy markets in the region and displace diesel powered generation)?

Green hydrogen as a transition mechanism in T&T and the Caribbean (Navin Boodhai, UWI and Koichi Arimitsu, Niterra Group)

  • Green hydrogen requires substantal renewable energy capacity. While we have a strong demand for green hydrogen in downstream petrochemicals companies, where will T&T get the renewable energy from?

  • What are the regulatory frameworks that might be required for Green Hydrogen and how can their introducƟon be expedited?

  • What intermediary steps could be taken to build demand and supply for GH2 as domesƟc supply chain is scaled?