by Larry Smith
Yet another talking shop on renewable energy is planned for Nassau next month.
Billed as "the region’s most significant gathering of policy-makers, utilities, RE developers, development banks, private equity firms, NGOs, and other key stakeholders",the Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum will take place at the Atlantis Resort October 14-15.
Some 300 participants from 37 countries took part in last year's Forum in Jamaica. This year's event will be opened by Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham. Sixty speakers have been confirmed, including seven government ministers.
The conference aims to address the financial, regulatory, policy and technological obstacles to renewable energy implementation across the region. It will also serve as a unique forum for international developers and investors to meet senior regional stakeholders and get a handle on investment opportunities.
Panel discussions will focus on the global picture for renewables, RE policy initiatives in the region, utility-scale renewable technologies, financing for renewables, energy efficiency, biofuels and waste-to-energy.
Key speakers will include US Ambassador Nicole Avant; Earl Barrett, general manager of the Wigton Wind Farm in Jamaica; Jerry Butler, CREF chairman; Craig O'Connor, director of the US Exim Bank's Office of Renewable Energy; Ken McClintock, Secretary of State for Puerto Rico; Joel Velasco of the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association; Phil Voss of the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Peter Williams, managing director of Barbados Light & Power; Bahamas Utilities Minister Phenton Neymour; and Will Wynn, former mayor of Austin Texas and chairman of Austin Energy.
CREF is led by Bahamian Jerry Butler, who previously represented the English-speaking Caribbean on the boards of the Inter-American Development Bank, the Inter-American Investment Corp, and the Multilateral Investment Fund in Washington, DC.
The Forum seeks to define the regional renewable energy market, pinpoint the legislative and regulatory bottlenecks, and work towards real world solutions using the best available technologies for the region.
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