Barbados is a small island – how much energy can we really get from the sun? It is actually more energy than we would know what to do with.
Each square metre of surface area receives about 7 kWh of solar energy on a clear day during the dry season, a 430 square kilometre island like Barbados receives 3 billion kWh on such a day. This is 1.08 x 1016 joules or the energy equivalent of about 1.87 million barrels of oil. The Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Natural Resources, Energy Division (2000) reported that the amount of petroleum products imported into Barbados in 1999 was 2,085,937 barrels, so the solar energy received on a hot day is similar to a year’s petroleum imports. [1]
Photo credit: Sue Ogrocki
References
[1] Barbados Renewable Energy Scenario Current Status and Projections to 2010 – Professor Oliver Headley