Creating a more energy efficient Barbados

Caribbean LED Lighting is making its mark in the region.

 

Manufacturing LED lighting products in Barbados; the company grew by 82 per cent in 2015; is currently exporting to 16 countries and has a major deal on the horizon in the United Kingdom.

 

Chief Executive Officer, Jim Reid, shared this with the Barbados Renewable Energy Association (BREA) workshop on Financial and Insurance Sector Energy Efficiency, held at the Barbados Coalition of Services Industries (BCSI) Secretariat, recently.

 

“We have a talented workforce here of 50, all Barbadian, with the exception of two persons. We have products that are admired and respected throughout the Caribbean and we have built a reputation in our brand – made in Barbados – is quality.”

 

“It grieves me when I see companies building here and importing from the United States (US), a product we can supply locally. We recently approached the owner of an establishment who will be carrying out new construction soon, and he said that he always buys from the US and doesn’t buy local. Though his customers are local... I think we have to wake up if we want to drive the economy forward. Simply by “buying Bajan” we make such a difference to the economy,” stressed Reid, whose company a member of BREA  was born out of a passion for all things environmental; reducing our carbon footprint and helping customers do the same.

 

Executive Director of BCSI, Graham Clarke told participants that BREA has been a significant leader in the efforts to create a more energy efficient Barbados and a more vibrant economy that is based on a thriving energy sector.

 

He also took the opportunity to congratulate BREA on the completion of the Consumer Guide “Energy Efficiency”, as well as the accompanying brochure which is meant to build awareness of energy efficiency at a household level, and hopefully lead to the 

reduction of reliance on fossil fuels through the adoption of a number of outlined initiatives.

 

Given the mandate of BCSI, Clarke is therefore challenging BREA to keep the exporting of their services and the need to go global as part of their ongoing agenda.

 

“Barbados has been a leader in this hemisphere in the area of renewable energy and as such I think we have services to this sector that many markets around the world need,” he pointed out.

 

Head of the Green Economy and Resilience Support Sector, European Union (EU) Delegation, Jannik Vaa, also shared with the workshop that the EU is extremely impressed with the work of the Barbados Renewable Energy Association.

 

“Having an organisation like BREA in Barbados is a bit of a God sent. I believe it is a unique situation in the Caribbean to have such an active civil society business organisation leading the debate almost in renewable energy. It is so important to have this debate. I think BREA has really taken the debate to everyone in the Caribbean; Barbados to my knowledge leading the transformation – there is still quite a bit to be done – but I think it’s going in the right direction.” (TL)