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Grenada. Grenada is an island country in the Caribbean located between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago. Christopher Columbus discovered the island during his third voyage to the new world in 1498.The country changed hands from the Spanish to the French and lastly to the British whose rule it remained under till Independence. Grenada is 12 miles (18km) wide and 21 miles (34km) long and covers a land area of 120 sq. miles (440 sq. km), Carriacou is 13 sq. miles (34 sq. km) and Petite Martinique is 486 acres (194 hectares). The British during the 18th century introduce sugar cultivation to the island where it soon became of major economic importance to the country. When a series of natural disasters destroyed the sugar cane industry in the 18th century, the country turned to cacao , cotton ,nutmeg and other spices to fill the sugar production void. In time the country became known as the, ‘Spice island of the Caribbean.’ (The National Portal of Grenada, Carriacou & Petite Martinique 2021).Comment by DARYL ARJOON: Hurricane Ivan, a category 3 system with sustained winds of 115mph, impacted Grenada and its dependencies on Tuesday, September 7th 2004. About eighty per cent (80%) of the country was reported to have been demolished with at least eighty- nine per cent (89%) of the housing stock being destroyed. Prior to the disaster growth in the sector was projected to register positive growth in, at least the medium run, In 2004, the sector was expected to expand by 4%, by 12% in 2005 mainly due to the production cycle of traditional crops (and in particular of nutmeg) and stabilize around 4% for 2006 and 2007. Livestock and forestry has been fairly steady since 1997, registering only positive growth. Fish output has been steadily increasing since 2000. The sector grew by 13.1 percent in 2003. The sector provides direct employment for 2200 fishermen and many more along the commodity chain as the product moves to the consumer. Cocoa, another major contributor to the economy is grown on approximately 8000 acres of land. The sub-sector employs approximately 7,500 active farmers spread throughout the parishes. According to the Grenada Cocoa Association, production in 2004 prior to the hurricane reached 1,800,000 lbs valued at EC$5,580, 000. The extensive cocoa building infrastructure used for buying, propagation and servicing the industry suffered substantial damage. The estimated value of the damage, which includes the private operators, wasEC$1.8 million. The banana industry, which has some level of importance both for local consumption and export was demolished. The 350 acres grown throughout the parishes suffered 100 percent damage. The total estimated damage to the industry is estimated to be EC$1,440,134.(Ishmael 2004). Grenada’s economy is now primarily based on services and tourism, especially since the 2004 hurricane Ivan destroyed most of the nutmeg and other spices production capacity. Grenada’s Energy Policy. The “Grenada Vision 2030” lays down the proposal to establish a 100% renewable energy target for both the electricity and transport sectors for 2030. The Grenada Vision 2030 consists of four major projects, three focused on development of utility scale generation from geothermal, wind and waste-to-energy sources, and one on distributed solar. Energy supply The energy sector has been characterized by high dependence on fossil fuels, with the electricity sector accounting for 40%, and the transport sector for around 50% of the primary energy use. Grid access is over 99%, with installed generation capacity of around 50 MW and peak demand around 30 MW (2012). Grenada imports almost 94% of its fuel for transport (diesel and gasoline), electricity generation (diesel) and cooking (liquefied petroleum gas), which makes the country vulnerable to energy price volatility. Since Hurricane Ivan in 2004, power sector infrastructure has been severely impacted and infrastructure reliability and distribution concept put into question. On the other hand, Grenada has the potential to develop renewable energy sources, especially solar, wind, and biomass (e.g. sugarcane and nutmeg production wastes). Additionally, the geothermal potential was estimated at around 1,100MW, with about 50 MW that could be reliably produced from inland locations. Some small rooftop PV installations have already been developed, covering around 1% of the peak demand. Nearly 99% of electricity is sourced from diesel fuel. The utility maintains an installed capacity of 48.6 MW spread across the three islands. In June 2006, Grenada became one of 13 Caribbean countries to sign the PetroCaribe Agreement with Venezuela to finance 40% of Grenada’s petroleum supply for 25 years at an interest rate of 1%. According to data from 2014, the costs of utility-scale solar in Grenada are estimated to be between $0.21/kWh and $0.44/kWh; wind costs are estimated to be between $0.05/kWh and $0.20/kWh. (NREL2015) Energy consumption: Grenada’s primary energy consumption is dominated by transportation, which took almost half of all energy consumed in 2008, followed by the power sector, with approximately 40% of the total consumption. At the end-use level, approximately 12% of Grenada’s total commercial energy supply is estimated to be consumed by households for cooking and electricity, about 7% is consumed by business, industry and the public sector (in the form of electricity) and approximately 25% is lost, mostly as heat during electricity generation. Electricity generation and use: In Grenada the private-public owned Grenada Electricity Services Ltd (GRENLEC) is the sole provider of electricity and operates diesel power stations at Queens Park (installed capacity 45.9 MW) and on the islands of Carriacou (3.2 MW) and Petit Martinique (0.5 MW).The company also maintains 2.8 MW of standby generation capacity at the St George’s University campus at True Blue. Peak demand for electricity on GRENLEC’s system in 2010 was 30.8 MW,all of which was serviced by a total of 52 MW of diesel power. Electricity sales in 2010 were 185.79 GWh to 41,222 customers, and demand is expected to increase at 4% per annum in the business as usual (BAU) scenario. In 2008, Grenada’s oil import bill was EC$ $68,768,000 representing 7% of Grenada’s total import bill and 76% of Grenada’s total annual export revenues. In 2008, the price of electricity soared to over 0.81 EC$ (US$0.30/kWh), which is among the highest in the world, placing severe hardship on householders and making businesses and industry uncompetitive.( NREL2015) The table above shows that despites Grenada drive towards renewable energy use, Diesel continues to account for the largest source of energy. To further highlight that point the table below shows that out the four out of the eight power stations are powered by diesel. Another issue is the fact that ,power stations that are powered by renewable energy either by themselves or combined produce negligible amount of energy as compared to the diesel power stations.( (NREL2015) What is Solar Energy? Solar technologies convert sunlight into electrical energy either through photovoltaic (PV) panels or through mirrors that concentrate solar radiation. This energy can be used to generate electricity or be stored in batteries or thermal storage. How Solar Energy Works? Diagram showing the different stages ofSolar Energy production and use.(CEC 2018) STEP 1: SUNLIGHT ACTIVATES THE PANELS. Each individual panel is constructed of a layer of silicon cells, a metal frame, a glass casing surrounded by a special film, and wiring. For maximum effect, the panels are grouped together into “arrays” (an ordered series) and placed on rooftops or in large outdoor spaces. The solar cells, which are also referred to as photovoltaic cells, absorb sunlight during daylight hours. STEP 2: THE CELLS PRODUCE ELECTRICAL CURRENT. Within each solar cell is a thin semiconductor wafer made from two layers of silicon. One layer is positively charged, and the other negatively charged, forming an electric field. When light energy from the sun strikes a photovoltaic solar cell, it energizes the cell and causes electrons to ‘come loose’ from atoms within the semiconductor wafer. Those loose electrons are set into motion by the electric field surrounding the wafer, and this motion creates an electrical current. STEP 3: THE ELECTRICAL ENERGY IS CONVERTED. You now have solar panels working efficiently to transform sunlight into electricity, but the electricity generated is called direct current (or DC) electricity, which is not the type of electricity that powers most homes, which is alternating current (or AC) electricity. Fortunately, DC electricity can easily be changed into AC electricity by a gadget called an inverter. In modern solar systems, these inverters can be configured as one inverter for the entire system or as individual microinverters attached behind the panels. STEP 4: THE CONVERTED ELECTRICITY POWERS YOUR HOME. Once the solar energy has been converted from DC to AC electricity, it runs through the electrical panel and is distributed within the home to power the appliances. It works exactly the same way as the electrical power generated through the grid by your electric utility company, so nothing within the home needs to change. The customer remains connected to the traditional power company, so that they can automatically draw additional electricity to supplement any solar shortages from the grid. STEP 5: A NET METER MEASURES USAGE. On cloudy days and overnight, the solar shingles or panels may not be able to capture enough sunlight to use for energy; conversely, in the middle of the day when nobody is home, they may collect surplus energy—more than the customer needs to operate his/her home. That’s why a meter is used to measure the electricity flowing in both directions—to and from your home. The utility company will often provide credits for any surplus power the customer sends back to the grid. This is known as net metering. (CEC2018) Storing excess Solar Energy. Thermal Energy Storage is a method that can be used to store excess solar energy. Thermal energy storage has been around since 1985 and has been tested nd used in many countries. Thermal energy storage includes the two-tank direct system, two-tank indirect system, and single-tank thermocline system. How Thermal Energy Storage Works. TWO-TANK DIRECT SYSTEM Solar thermal energy in this system is stored in the same fluid used to collect it. The fluid is stored in two tanks—one at high temperature and the other at low temperature. Fluid from the low-temperature tank flows through the solar collector or receiver, where solar energy heats it to a high temperature