In 2020 I wrote a review about the Sun Exchange, the world’s first peer-to-peer solar panel micro-leasing platform which powers solar projects primarily in South Africa. Now a very similar model is available in Barbados which allows Barbadians to own solar panels within an operating solar project and thereby earn solar passive income for 25 … Continue reading
Getting involved in the funding of the global solar power transition has never been easier. I started with micro solar projects in Africa through SunFunder before moving onto community solar projects in Ontario, Canada via SolarShare. The Sun Exchange is the next step in that progression by enabling global participation through leveraging distributed solar PV … Continue reading
When the world entered a collective lockdown in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic many were unsure of just how long it would last. Volatility and uncertainty gripped the financial markets and economies were destabilized, seemingly overnight. As businesses closed their doors and the public stayed indoors the demand for oil dried up and … Continue reading
This is part 2 of the Barbados FIT series; part 1 can be read here “Barbados Feed-In Tariff in the works“. After a few years of program creation and industry consultation, the Barbados FIT program was slated to launch on July 6th, 2019. However, there were some delays and additional fine tuning before the Fair … Continue reading
Continued from “10MW solar farm to be built in Barbados“ In 2016 Barbados welcomed its first utility scale solar farm at the north of the island in Trents, St. Lucy. On June 11th, 2016 it was first connected to the grid and after a month of commissioning and testing, it officially began commercial operation in … Continue reading
One of the biggest, if not the biggest hurdle to further solar PV penetration in Barbados is the upfront cost of a system. When you think about the fact that the cost is essentially the prepayment of 25-30 years worth of electricity it makes sense that the price is “high”. If you could purchase a … Continue reading
This is part 1 of the Barbados FIT series; part 2 can be read here “Barbados FIT Program Launched“. As solar power matures and becomes more of a mainstream source of power generation, the “training wheels” phase of feed-in-tariff programs around the world is coming to an end. The underlying concept was to provide long … Continue reading
In May 2014 the Barbados Light and Power Company (BL&P) invited proposals for an 8MW (AC) solar farm in St. Lucy. Approximately 40 companies bid on the project, mostly international ones and a few local companies. The original notice is posted below followed by a photo from an August 2014 site visit. In August 2015, … Continue reading
Barbados continues to maintain a leadership position in solar energy within the Caribbean. Building on a successful Renewable Energy Rider program which has seen 9MW of distributed solar PV installed, the electricity market has finally opened up to independent power producers (IPPs) to develop utility scale solar projects. This is the first time in … Continue reading
Below is a list of the major solar panel installers in Barbados, providing both residential and commercial solar PV installations. Before you obtain quotes, find out what questions to ask. #1 recommendation for residential solar PV systems – EcoEnergy #1 recommendation for commercial solar PV systems – Williams Solar Company Website Email Phone … Continue reading
