KINGSTON, Jamaica, April 01 2015 – Eight energy companies and winners of the 2012 IDEAS Energy Innovation Contest for the Caribbean came together recently to celebrate their achievements and share the lessons learned from the implementation of their innovative ideas promoting energy efficiency and access to renewable energy in the region.
They were joined by High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Jamaica David Fitton; Therese Turner-Jones, country representative of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); Ben Good, CEO of Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP); and Fitzroy Vidal of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining.
Among the winning ‘ideas’ were three from Jamaican companies Caribshare, Caribbean Esco, and The Family Garden.
Caribshare, an Echos Consulting initiative, in partnership with Rosehall Development is working to develop a biogas system using waste from hotels and farmers, that is able to produce 100kWh of electricity through 400m3 digester.
Caribbean Esco’s energy efficient hybrid solar agro-products dryer uses renewable energy and liquid desiccant technologies to provide added values to farmers through drying fresh produce, while The Family Garden is a hydroponic farming initiative that uses solar energy and provides employment and income in rural communities.
The eight contest winners were granted a total of US$1,486,000 to develop energy efficiency or renewable energy solutions that have the potential to address local or regional energy challenges, provide jobs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to grant funding, winners were offered technical and business development support to implement or scale up their ideas.
The Energy Innovation Contest IDEAS is an IDB initiative that seeks to support the development of innovative technologies and business models that promote renewable energy, energy efficiency, bio-fuels and access to energy in rural areas in Latin America and the Caribbean. It was launched for the first time in 2009.
In 2012, the IDB and the South Korean Government partnered with UKAid from the Department for International Development (DFID) as sponsor and provider of the grant funds for the third call for proposals, the Caribbean special edition. The programme was managed by UKAid with GVEP as its implementing partner.
“This round of the IDEAS Energy Innovation Contest has provided an opportunity for Caribbean entrepreneurs to develop businesses that use renewable energy and support sustainable development in the Caribbean. I hope that these enterprises will continue to grow and develop in the future, increase access to low-carbon energy and create jobs in their countries and communities,” said Luke Jessop, policy and programme officer at DFID.
“IDEAS is a unique opportunity for original ideas from developing countries to obtain support and move from a conceptual level to an advanced stage,” added Arnaldo Vieira de Carvalho, sustainable energy lead specialist and IDEAS team leader at the IDB.
Meanwhile, Therese Turner-Jones, Country Representative for the IDB, said that there is “compelling urgency” in Jamaica “for innovative ideas in the field of energy given the exorbitant cost of electricity and Jamaica’s natural endowments, including sun, sea, wind and other natural materials.
“The IDB is proud to have had such a competitive field of Jamaican participants which speaks to the creativity, intelligence and innovation that is abundant on this island. We look forward to future contestants and expect another batch of successful entries to take this sector into a sustainable future,” Turner-Jones said. (Jamaica Observer)
