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Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of the Caribbean Export Development Agency (CIDEA), called on the region’s private sector to drive the adoption of renewable energy solutions at the EU-Caribbean Sustainable Energy Conference currently taking place in Barbados.
“We have found at Caribbean Exports that companies are increasingly eager to take corrective actions as it impacts their bottom line”, shares Coker-Hamilton. Implementing energy-saving practices in business operations makes companies more competitive in the global marketplace.
To assist these organisations, the agency has developed an energy management training module for its Productivity Network (ProNET) programme to help SMEs address the role of energy in business and deepen their understanding of the energy services supply chain.
Furthermore, after taking the course, businesses should be better able to make the necessary choices regarding different energy systems and their technologies to improve their efficiency.
Coker-Hamilton urged that as a region, the move towards renewable energy solutions has become a growing priority and that “we (should) go beyond simply developing energy policy and work towards translating it into actual legislation that benefits the private sector”.
Eliminating value-added tax on energy-saving and renewable energy equipment, supporting the use of electric vehicles, and introducing energy reduction tax rebates are just some of the recommendations the agency has previously made to local governments.
In addition, given the costs borne by small and medium-sized enterprises to make the necessary changes, the agency is providing grants to businesses to enable them to conduct energy audits. Energy audits will be the first step to understand the energy cost savings that can be achieved by implementing various energy-saving measures.
About Caribbean Exports
Caribbean Exports is a regional export development and trade and investment promotion organization of the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) and is currently implementing the EU’s 10day European Development Fund (EDF) Caribbean Export’s mission is to enhance the competitiveness of Caribbean countries by providing quality export development and trade and investment promotion services through effective project execution and strategic alliances.
For more information on Caribbean Exports, visit www.carib-export.comContact: JoEllen Laryea, Public Relations and Communications, Caribbean Export Development Agency, Tel: +1 (246) 436-0578, Fax: +1 (246) 436-9999, Email: (email protected)
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