Inauguration of the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE) in Barbados

ECREEE was invited to the high-level inauguration ceremony of the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE), held on October 28^th, 2015 in Bridgetown, capital of Barbados. This followed the decision of the 36^th Regular meeting of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to establish the centre as a regional implementation hub, with Barbados as the hosting country.

CCREEE was developed and promoted by the CARICOM Secretariat in close partnership with the Small Island Developing States Sustainable Energy and Climate Resilience Initiative (SIDS DOCK) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Financial support is being provided by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) for the first operational phase.

The centre is part of a global initiative which aims at the creation of a network of regional sustainable energy centres for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Pacific, Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Africa. The partnership was launched at the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, held in September 2014 in Apia, Samoa. Apart from the centre in the Caribbean also the Pacific Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (PCREEE) is under establishment. ECREEE, based in Praia, Cabo Verde, was nominated as the sustainable energy hub for SIDS in Africa.

At this occasion, Mr. Mahama Kappiah, Executive Director of ECREEE, expressed his sincere gratitude to the partners for the successful launch of the sister organization.  Mr. Kappiah said: "The network of centres offers plenty of room for knowledge exchange and transfer of adapted energy and climate resilience solutions. Many SIDS share common opportunities and challenges when it comes to the up-scaling of sustainable energy markets and industries." Mr. Kappiah also congratulated Mr. Al Binger for his appointment as Interim Executive Director of CCREEE.

Freundel Stuart, Prime Minister of Barbados and Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, stressed that the urgent establishment of the centre was in line with the region’s strategic goals and focus on sustainable development. Confirming his country’s support for the centre, he added that “CCREEE will act as a regional hub and think-tank for sustainable energy issues and activities in the region.”

In his intervention, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said: “The centre’s main role will be to assist CARICOM Member States to implement the Caribbean Sustainable Energy Roadmap and Strategy (C-SERMS), as well as their respective national energy strategies and targets. The centre is an important contribution of CARICOM to the upcoming Climate Summit in Paris.”

Ambassador Vince Henderson, Chairman of SIDS DOCK, added: “We consider CCREEE and the wider network of centres for Small Island Developing States to be an essential contribution to make the Sustainable Energy for All initiative a reality for our economies and societies. The centres are expected to cooperate closely on the SIDS energy agenda and will form not only a strong advocacy, but also a strong cooperation group.”

Pradeep Monga, UNIDO Director and Special Representative of the Director General on Energy, called “CCREEE a critical mechanism for up-scaling national efforts, particularly in the areas of project execution, capacity development, and knowledge and data management, as well as investment and business promotion, within the sustainable energy sector”.

According to Martin Ledolter, Managing Director of the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), “the centre will empower local people within the Caribbean to benefit from the growing global sustainable energy markets and participate in the emerging opportunities for south-south and north-south technology and knowledge transfer”.

Dr. Al Binger, Appointed as Interim-Executive Director of CCREEE

Dr. Al Binger former Professor and Director for the University of the West Indies Centre for Environment and Development was appointed as the Interim-Executive Director of the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE) on October 28^th, 2015.

He was instrumental for the successful completion of the CCREEE preparatory process which was executed by the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Sustainable Energy and Climate Resilience International Organization (SIDS DOCK), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the CARICOM Secretariat.

Dr. Binger is currently the Energy Science Advisor of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, and SIDS DOCK Coordinator. He is a member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Technology Executive Committee and also the former Science Advisor and Technical Coordinator to the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and Visiting Professor at Saga University, Saga, Japan, in Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC).

Dr. Binger is the former Chair, Strategic Planning and Director the Global Environment Division, Rockefeller Foundation, in New York, USA; and founding Director of the Biomass Users (BUN) Network, San Jose, Costa Rica. He was Director, Bioenergy Division, responsible for identifying and promoting opportunities for public private partnership private investments in non-food agriculture at Agro 21, Office of the Prime Minister, Kingston, Jamaica; and former Director for Research and Development at the Scientific Research Council, Kingston, Jamaica.