Current Barriers to Renewable Energy Development In Trinidad and Tobago

Authors

  • Zaffar Khan
  • Atiyyah A. Khan

Abstract

The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is a two island country lo-
cated in the southernmost part of the Caribbean, just 11 km off the coast
of Venezuela. The economy is essentially hydrocarbon based with the
energy industry contributing approximately 45% of the country’s gross
domestic product (GDP). However, this tropical country faces a number
of challenges. These include suppressed oil and natural gas prices, fall-
ing hydrocarbon production, and gas curtailment in its petrochemical
sector. The latest Ryder Scott hydrocarbon audit indicated that the coun-
try has proven natural gas reserves to last to only 2019. It is imperative
that the country diversifies its economy including its power sector. This
article discusses the primary barriers to renewable energy (RE) develop-
ment and implementation in Trinidad and Tobago. It also identifies the
hurdles the country must overcome in order to formulate a sustainable
strategy to deal with these problems in the context of renewable energy,
energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

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Author Biographies

Zaffar Khan

Zaffar Khan is the director for the MBA program in sustainable energy management at the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, University of the West Indies. He completed the executive education program in competition and strategy at Harvard Business School. He has won several international awards including The Individual Achievement Award 2014 from the Energy Institute of the UK and the Energy Professional Development Award for Latin America from the AEE in 2015. He also won the award for Academic and Applied Research from the Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago in 2014 and 2015. He is a senior member of the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), vice president of the Trinidad and Tobago Chapter of the AEE as well as the vice president of the Energy Institute, Caribbean. Professor Khan can be contacted at: zaffar.khan@fac.gsb.tt.

Atiyyah A. Khan

Atiyyah Khan is currently a consultant with Econsultants Trinidad Limited. She holds a B. of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of the West Indies and a Masters in industrial innovation entrepreneurship and management from the University of Trinidad and Tobago. She is also an AEE Certified Energy Manager. For the past seven years she has been a lecturer with the Ministry of Education in Trinidad, teaching physics and mathematics. She can be contacted at: Atiyyah@gmail.com.

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Strategic Planning for Energy and the Environment

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Published

2023-01-27

How to Cite

Khan, Z. ., & Khan, A. A. (2023). Current Barriers to Renewable Energy Development In Trinidad and Tobago . Strategic Planning for Energy and the Environment, 36(4), 8–23. Retrieved from https://journals.riverpublishers.com/index.php/SPEE/article/view/19601

Issue

2017: Vol 36 Iss 4 2016-2017

Section

Articles