This was according to Adam Warren of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory who was one of the resource speakers during Tuesday’s presentations for the Pacific Island Energy Symposium at the Hyatt.
Warren, who talked about the “Integrated Deployment of Efficient Energy and Renewable Energy in U.S. Virgin Islands,” said a sustainable energy initiative is possible by following some steps which involve bringing the right people together, developing a compelling vision, determining baseline and setting goals, and preparing a plan.
“The process of developing a sustainable energy initiative is a work in progress,” Warren said.
In preparing a plan, he added, stakeholders must generate “early wins,” implement the full plan, evaluate the effectiveness of and recognize achievements.
The Pacific Island Energy Symposium which ends today is organized by Northern Marianas College and the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
Energy experts joined over 60 participants from other Pacific islands in discussing options to meet the ultimate goal of reducing the importation of fossil fuel and explore other sources of renewable energy like solar, wind turbines, and other alternatives.
Today’s discussions will cover issues on human capacity building, overview of energy efficiency in the tropics, a case study of Palau National Development Bank’s Energy Efficiency and Solar Strategy, experiences addressing project implementation and challenges, stakeholder development for energy projects and programs, consumer education and advocacy, and a wrap-up of the topics covered in the symposium.
