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oil prices . Several Caribbean countries spend often more glaring to the average customer, than the
3
up to 10% of their GDP on imported fossil fuels. complex mixture of solutions to be obtained from
Consequently, Caribbean electricity costs are four the RE transition, based on financial, technology and
(4) times higher than those of the United States; regulatory measures.
therefore, the region’s imported-oil dependence
places a heavy burden on its governments and Naturally, at the centre of RE advocacy is the
citizens . communication of the multiple benefits to be
4
obtained from its utilisation. However, given the
It must be noted that while RE is cost-competitive abovementioned statistics on RE usage in the
and often cheaper in its generation as compared Caribbean and possible resistance to RE initiatives
with conventional fuel for power supply, due to the lack of information or misinformation;
RE’s intermittent generation (solar and wind it can be said that a review and bolstering of the
power) requires additional investment and current communication strategies employed to
the improvement of grid infrastructure and promote RE transition, would be quite beneficial.
management in the Caribbean. Notwithstanding, Ultimately, an accessible and fact-based discourse
RE implementation in the Caribbean would be is needed to increase the support for proven RE
fiscally responsible, and serves as a means of technologies in the Caribbean and beyond.
achieving increased decarbonisation and reducing
the impacts of climate change. Accordingly, it is A welcomed mediator in this debate lies in the form
because of these colossal benefits that several of corporate communications, which if applied
energy sector stakeholders, (including independent effectively, can positively influence RE stakeholders
power producers, electric utilities, governments, (especially policymakers) to take actionable
regulators, and environmental groups) have long steps towards its implementation. ‘Corporate
sought to advocate for the transition to RE within communications are management functions which
the Caribbean region. However, the progress of offer a framework for the effective coordination of
RE deployment is not only determined by factors all internal and external communication, with the
related to technologies, institutions, regulation, or overall purpose of establishing and maintaining
finance. Of equal importance is the perceptions favourable reputations with stakeholder groups
and awareness among the key groups who upon which the organisation is dependent . An
’5
will determine the fate of renewable energy: effective corporate communications strategy
policymakers; industry leaders; and the public. requires a favourable corporate image, corporate
identity, and corporate reputation.
On the global front, increased deployment of
RE technologies has channeled a debate on the
impacts, costs, and required resources needed
to accommodate the intermittent generation
of RE, without impairing the security of supply
and reducing the affordability of energy. The
nucleus of this debate is the need to understand
the positions and motivations of those opposed
to RE advancement. It can be assumed that this
opposition may derive from a lack of information
or misinformation. Such resistance to the RE
transition is further bolstered by the fact that its
transition presents imminent challenges, including
high initial capital costs and unpredictable energy
supply due to intermittent RE. These obstacles are

3 Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Sustainable Energy for all in the Caribbean (2016)
4 CARICOM Secretariat, 2017 Energy Report Card – CARICOM (2018)
5 Tench and Yeomans, Exploring Public Relations (2017)

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