Experts in technology exploration and project development in the marine energy sector of the Caribbean will gather in Grande Anse, Grenada in November for a marine technology forum.
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, in collaboration with a number of other organisations, will host the Caribbean Marine Energy Technology (CariMET) Forum, at the Radisson Grenada Beach Resort, 6-7 November. The Forum will be co-hosted by the Government of Grenada and the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE). Other partners are the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), SIDS Sustainable Energy and Climate Resilience Initiative (SIDS DOCK).
About 50 experts in marine energy, representatives of international agencies, researchers and thought-leaders will be among those who will attend CariMET to explore a range of subjects. Among the topics are the development and deployment of Ocean Thermal Energy, including Seawater Air-conditioning, and Kinetic Marine Energy including Offshore-Wind, Tidal and Wave. Experts will also brainstorm cost-reduction strategies for cutting-edge marine renewable energy technologies within the Region, one of the primary purposes of the forum.
The Forum seeks to:
- build and transfer knowledge, through the sharing of global, regional and national experiences, on marine renewable energy and the realistic opportunities on offshore options for grid and off-grid energy service generation;
- Develop a strategic research agenda to support continued improvement of understanding of the potential impacts of marine renewable energy projects on the sustainable development landscape in CARICOM SIDS; and
- Develop a framework for businesses and communities of practice, as well as prospective developers and investors, to actively engage with governments to deepen the exploration of opportunities within the regional marine renewable energy sector.
The forum is being held as the Region seeks ways of harnessing its vast marine resources towards energy efficiency and building resilience, even as there is recognition that marine renewable energy technologies are way behind their land-based counterparts.
Prime Minister of Grenada, Dr. the Rt. Hon. Keith Mitchell, will deliver the main address titled ‘Marine Energy at the Centre: The Pursuit of Blue Economic Development within Caribbean SIDS.’
Presentations will zero in on the technology outlook for Ocean Energy Thermal Conversion (OTEC) and Seawater Air Conditioning (SWAC), as well as priority actions for Ocean Energy within CARICOM. Global case examples will be drawn from Japan and Hawaii.
The Forum includes interactive and working group sessions. In the interactive sessions, participants will focus on Caribbean experiences with project development, focusing on Martinique, the Cayman Islands, Montego Bay, Jamaica, and St. George’s, Grenada. Other interactive sessions will look at resource potential and project opportunities within CARICOM, as well as integrating marine energy into the Regional Strategy for Sustainable Energy. The working group sessions will seek to identify Research and Innovation priorities for ocean energy in CARICOM.
