by KEVIN EDMONDS
Every year millions of tourists flock to the Caribbean to enjoy the region’s year round sunshine. Despite being blessed with beautiful weather, the region is only now taking concrete steps to turn the sun into more than just a tourist attraction and make solar power an integral part of their development plans. As it stands, outside of Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean remains deeply dependent on imported fossil fuels for both energy and transportation. It has been cited that the region is home to some of the world’s most expensive energy costs—resulting in a high level of economic vulnerability due to ever increasing energy prices. The high cost of energy importation has led to high levels of debt and has taken away funding that could otherwise go to social services, infrastructure, and poverty reduction programs.