Powering Jamaican Businesses through Investment in Solar Photovoltaics
Video from the Strengthening Energy Sector Resilience in Jamaica project (SESR-Jamaica) highlights a successful partnership for energy resilience.
Over the past 3.5 years, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Jamaica Energy Resilience Alliance (JERA), led by Cadmus, have partnered to support the adoption of distributed solar photovoltaics (PV) and PV with battery storage (PV+) systems by the Jamaican commercial and industrial sectors. The results speak for themselves: SESR-Jamaica has exceeded its goals, including mobilizing $5.4 million in private sector capital while supporting over 24 Jamaican businesses to date in acquiring PV/PV+ systems to power 36 business facilities across Jamaica. Combined, these systems will account for about 2.4 MW of new solar capacity and 2.4 MWh of battery storage capacity.
The USAID and JERA joint effort—SESR-Jamaica—has undertaken workforce development, a PV+ pilot project, outreach, and one-on-one technical assistance to help businesses interested in PV/PV+ to explore their business cases, navigate the acquisition process, and secure financing.
Watch the video to hear from these Jamaican businesses and learn more about the positive impact of their solar energy journey, as well as opportunities for the future.
Jamaican businesses: poised for the “next wave” of PV/PV+ adoption
Most of the businesses supported by JERA are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing and tourism sectors, part of the “first wave” of PV/PV+ adoption by Jamaican businesses. However, JERA has also supported medical, housing, and agricultural businesses, among others. The results of the program have demonstrated that PV/PV+ business case across sectors is robust. Businesses contemplating adoption now are poised to benefit from the experience of “first wave” adopters, a maturing PV/PV+ financing ecosystem, and a stronger and more professional PV system design and installation sector.
Continued PV/PV+ benefits for Jamaica and its businesses
This adoption of PV and PV+ by businesses increases energy resilience and energy independence for Jamaica. Lower-priced, reliable, renewable power increases business competitiveness and continuity of operations while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As the project ends, SESR-Jamaica’s experience working with over 100 businesses leaves JERA members with optimism that Jamaica will increasingly realize these benefits.
Learn more about the SESR-Jamaica program and its impacts at: www.cadmusgroup.com/jamaicaenergy
About JERA
The Jamaica Energy Resilience Alliance (JERA) is a group of leaders from the private, civil society and academic sectors with a shared vision to promote and support the solar energy sector and energy resilience in Jamaica. JERA members are: Cadmus (lead), a US-based energy, resilience, environment and climate consultancy of 1000 professionals with a long history of supporting renewable energy in Jamaica and the Caribbean; Green Solutions International; Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association; the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association; LASCO; RMI; the University of the West Indies-Mona; Wigton Windfarm; WRB Energy; and Xergy Energy.
