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By Marlon Madden
The Barbados Light & Power Company (BLPC) has raised alarm about the potential instability of the national grid given the increasing number of connections being made by renewable energy systems.
The issue has become so “critical” that the island’s sole electric utility company has applied for permission to build a combined total of 60 megawatts of utility-scale storage across
Governor of the Central Bank Cleviston Haynes has expressed doubt that the island can achieve the Government’s “desirable but ambitious” goal of becoming fully reliant on renewable energy by 2030.However, he said it was vital for the country to set the target to make that energy shift even if it occurred later than hoped.Although acknowledging that momentum toward reaching the goal was building, Haynes admitted on Wednesday he was not surprised the country was behind the target.“The 2030 plan has always been an ambitious objective. It is desirable but ambitious…. Will we get there by 2030? I am no expert in that area but maybe we won’t,” he said in response to questions from journalists during his quarterly economic review at the Frank Collymore Hall.
To date, only 11.8 per cent of the targeted 750 megawatts of renewable energy capacity required over the next eight years have been connected to the national grid.Word of this has come from Minister of Energy Kerrie Symmonds who dismissed any concern of any grid capacity constraints as Barbados aims to achieve 100 per cent reliance on renewable energy by 2030.At the same time, he called on the relevant government departments and the Barbados Light and Power Company (BLPC) to be more transparent with data to help potential investors in the sector make critical decisions.He made the comments on Wednesday during the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) renewable energy forum and expo at the Hilton Barbados Resort, which was held under the theme Barbados’ 2030 Renewable Energy Vision: Where are We?