Cayman Islands’ First Solar Farm Operational

Earlier this week, the 5MW Bodden Town Solar Farm was symbolically switched on (it had been operating for a few weeks) by Caribbean Utilities Company (CUC) chairman Richard Hew .

The installation will generate enough electricity for 800 homes and substantially reduce diesel fuel consumption.

“Diesel generation has served us extremely well and will continue to serve us in the future,” said Mr. Hew. “However, I believe what we see here in Bodden Town today is a watershed event and I anticipate that going forward we will see the rapid adoption of renewable energy and the diminished reliance on fossil fuels to generate electricity.”

Things didn’t go quite according to plan in the construction of the facility, but the lessons learned will help accelerate development of future projects.

CUC commenced operations as the only public electric utility in Grand Cayman in 1966 and currently has an installed generating capacity of 161 megawatts. The company provides electricity supply to more than 28,000 customers.

Cayman Islands Renewable Energy Target

In its National Energy Policy 2017 – 2037, the Cayman Islands government has set a target of 70% of total electricity generation to come from renewable sources by 2037. There’s a big job ahead as the only non-oil energy source in the Cayman Islands is a small amount of solar power; well, now a little more with Bodden Town Solar Farm online. In 2015, renewable energy accounted for only 0.9% of electricity generation.