News facts
CTCN is assisting Antigua and Barbuda in developing a strategy for local workforce engagement in the clean energy economy. The Government of Antigua and the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) jointly held a workshop with local public, private, and community stakeholders to identify opportunities for increasing the rate of deployment of clean energy technologies while creating local jobs.Representatives of the Ministry of Health and Environment and CTCN Consortium Partner, the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), co-facilitated the meetings as part of a larger effort to support Antigua in achieving the mitigation and adaptation commitments made at the 2015 Paris international climate change convention.
Workshop participants from the Ministry of Energy, Public Works, police, fire department, community development, and local installers and clean energy consultants, expressed enhanced capacity in understanding the benefits as well as challenges with rapidly scaling up the use of energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste-to-energy, and climate resilient technologies. The workshop also included on-site learning visits to the landfill, the 3-MW solar photovoltaic plant located at the airport, and the Sandals water treatment facility. As an outcome of the discussions, NREL, with support from the CTCN, will work with the Ministry of Health and Environment to develop a workforce training strategy for engaging local personnel in the project feasibility, construction, maintenance, and financing of renewable energy projects. Part of this CTCN technical assistance, it is also expected the assessment of Antigua and Barbuda’s energy context, renewable energy deployment goals, and current barriers, analysis of renewable energy priority technologies.