Will the Bahamas build utility-scale solar power?

For the first time, The Bahamas is on the path to building utility-scale solar power across our islands. Large photovoltaic (PV) solar arrays will capture the energy from the sun and send it to our country’s electricity grid. What steps are required as The Bahamas moves forward with utility-scale solar power, and what are the costs?

How does solar power work in the Bahamas?

Large photovoltaic (PV) solar arrays will capture the energy from the sun and send it to our country’s electricity grid. What steps are required as The Bahamas moves forward with utility-scale solar power, and what are the costs? Island-by-island planning. Every one of our inhabited islands is different, and requires a unique set of solutions.

How will a new energy system affect the Bahamas?

Comprehensive upgrades to our country’s transmission and distribution infrastructure, and switching from heavy and diesel fuels to solar power and natural gas, will create new efficiencies and reduce the price of electricity in The Bahamas. But it won’t happen overnight – it will take time to upgrade our grid and to integrate cleaner energy.

Is solar a good option in the Bahamas?

On a kilowatt-hour (kWh) by kilowatt-hour basis, solar’s your best, but you need to add battery energy storage capacity in order to reach higher levels of penetration,” he noted. “Nassau’s [the Bahamas’ largest city] is a pretty big grid, and it can take a fair bit of solar without storage,” Burgess continued.

How does a comprehensive energy policy work in the Bahamas?

Our comprehensive energy policies work together to modernize our system and bring electricity prices down in The Bahamas. 70MW of solar power and 35MW of Battery Energy Storage Systems will be integrated into the existing grid.

Is the Bahamas a difficult place to generate electricity?

BPL Chairman Donovan Moxey was quoted in a Tribune Business news report. The Bahamas is a very difficult place to generate electricity, distribute it and sell it, even as compared to other Caribbean islands, Chris Burgess, Islands Energy Program projects director, told Solar Magazine.