MIAMI, Florida, USA, Might 12 (IPS) – The Renewable Power Coverage Community for the twenty first Century (REN21), a world community that advances renewable vitality by collaboration and data sharing, has named James Fletcher of Saint Lucia and Dr Ramón Méndez Galain of Uruguay as its first Renewable Power Champions.
The achieved former vitality ministers had been launched as REN21 RE Champions on Might 9, on the seventeenth Caribbean Renewable Power Discussion board in Miami. They had been recognised for his or her exemplary management in driving vitality transition of their respective nations and area.
The RE Champions Initiative will join skilled policymakers with friends globally to share data, sensible steering, and successes and encourage much-needed motion.
Fletcher, who led Saint Lucia’s Ministry of Sustainable Improvement and Power, described becoming a member of the initiative as “one of many best selections I ever needed to make.”
He reiterated the urgency of vitality reform within the Caribbean, the place electrical energy prices usually go as excessive as 35 to 40 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour – a serious barrier to competitiveness.
“If we will crack that, if we will get that transition to occur rapidly, each single financial sector in our area turns into aggressive on all of our islands,” he stated.
“If we will crack that, if we will get this transition to occur rapidly,” Fletcher advised IPS, “each single financial sector in our area turns into aggressive.”
Dr. Méndez Galain, a physicist who was the architect of Uruguay’s transformation to a grid powered by 98 p.c renewables, spoke to IPS about that nation’s journey. He emphasised the significance of political consensus in reaching lasting change and stated he’s blissful to share his expertise and experience with friends.
“One of many first and most vital issues we succeeded in doing was to have a long-term settlement that was backed by your complete Uruguayan political system. This was essential and allowed us to have continuity within the course of,” Méndez Galain stated. He added, “We proved {that a} energy system can work solely due to the complementarity of various sources. It was a technical concern, but it surely was not rocket science. On the finish of the day, it was comparatively easy to unravel.”
Uruguay’s transition, he famous, slashed electrical energy manufacturing prices by half and created 50,000 jobs, about 3 p.c of the nation’s workforce. “We proved that vitality transition can work, however it might not occur spontaneously. It’s important to actually make modifications within the insurance policies, rules, legal guidelines, and institutional framework within the markets. That is what we are attempting to share with our present ministers and officers from our area,” he stated.
Fletcher, the Caribbean Group’s Local weather Change envoy, pointed to Uruguay’s success as proof that even grid methods reliant on intermittent sources like wind and photo voltaic can stay secure and environment friendly. “What Ramón has been in a position to present is that it may be executed with intermittent renewables, as a result of one of many issues that retains being hammered at us is that in the event you solely have intermittent sources of electrical energy, you can’t do that. He’s proven in Uruguay that he can do it. That it may be executed,” he stated.
Each champions emphasised the facility of South-South collaboration and the necessity to scale this mannequin to different areas.
“Establishing these partnerships by an organisation like REN21—with its world attain—was a no brainer,” Fletcher stated. “On the finish of the day, our purpose is to make sure that we see an entire phase-out of fossil fuels.”
Méndez Galain expressed enthusiasm for collaborating together with his Saint Lucian colleague and the REN21 community.
“Having the prospect to work with folks like Fletcher – it’s unimaginable to me as a result of he’s an inspiring man,” he stated. “REN21 is a strong community that embraces and boosts every part that we will say with great potential hyperlinks to organisations that may assist governments to do their jobs.”
REN21’s Senior Advisor, Laura Williamson, advised the launch that the RE Champions Initiative bridges the hole between expertise, coverage, and management.
“It’s constructed round champions who carry real-world expertise, who’ve overcome challenges to realize outstanding ends in their very own nations and might provide strategic partnerships to speed up vitality transition.”
“We’ve got the expertise; we’ve got the sources. However what is absolutely lacking is the trade of data, the potential of partnerships, and the connections,” she stated in a sit-down with IPS. “It is actually to exhibit how connecting the decision-makers to the information, to the tales, to the experiences, can drive vitality transition. Additionally to exhibit that that is doable, so let’s do it.”
The initiative is totally funded by philanthropic contributions and champions volunteer their time and experience. REN21 plans to develop the programme to incorporate consultants from Asia and Africa, strengthening cross-regional collaboration and unlocking shared options throughout the International South.
The REN21 Champions say whereas a sustainable vitality future is inside attain, accelerating progress would require larger urgency—and connection and collaboration will function the catalysts to drive it ahead.
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