Solar & Storage for Caribbean island grids
Caribbean islands run on imported diesel at some of the highest electricity costs in the world, on grids that hurricanes regularly destroy. That is a storage and resilience problem before it is a solar one.
- Baseline
- Imported diesel generation
- Tariffs
- Among the world's highest
- Design driver
- Hurricane resilience
- Funding
- IDB, CDB, donor
The market
The economics here are unlike anywhere else we work. Island grids depend on imported diesel and fuel oil, which produces electricity tariffs several times those of the Gulf. Solar does not need a subsidy to compete — it needs only to be built.
The harder problem is resilience. Hurricanes destroy generation and distribution infrastructure on a recurring basis, and a system engineered to Gulf assumptions will not survive. Wind loading, mounting specification, anchor design and rapid recovery capability drive the engineering, not irradiation modelling.
What this changes practically. Structural design governs. Racking, ballast and anchoring must be specified to hurricane wind loads rather than to cost, and storage should be sited and enclosed for survivability. A cheaper mounting system is not a saving here; it is a total loss waiting for a storm.
How projects are funded
The Inter-American Development Bank, the Caribbean Development Bank and donor programmes fund much of the region's energy infrastructure. That is the same institutional structure we work with across Africa, and our EPC-plus-financing capability is built for it.
Who governs a project here
| Function | Body |
|---|---|
| Typical funders | IDB, Caribbean Development Bank, donor programmes |
| Utilities | National and territorial utilities, island by island |
| Design governing factor | Hurricane wind loading |
Where we fit
Diesel displacement with storage, resilience-engineered systems, and microgrids for critical facilities such as hospitals, water treatment and telecommunications. Delivery would be executed with a regional partner.
What we deliver
- Solar with battery storage sized for diesel displacement
- Hurricane-resilient structural and mounting design
- Microgrids for hospitals, water treatment and critical infrastructure
- EPC-plus-financing with IDB, CDB and donor programmes
- Feasibility and bankable tender packages
Frequently asked questions
Why is solar attractive in the Caribbean?
Island grids depend on imported diesel and fuel oil, producing electricity tariffs several times those of the Gulf. Solar competes on cost without needing a subsidy.
What makes Caribbean engineering different?
Hurricane resilience governs the design. Wind loading, mounting specification and anchor design drive the engineering rather than irradiation modelling, and storage must be sited and enclosed for survivability.
Who funds Caribbean energy projects?
Largely the Inter-American Development Bank, the Caribbean Development Bank and donor programmes — the same institutional structure we work with across Africa.
Do you have a Caribbean track record?
Not yet. We would deliver with a regional partner, contributing storage engineering, resilience design and financing structure.
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