Renewable Energy in Ecotourism: A Case Study of Trinidad and Tobago’s Implementation Challenges

Abstract

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like Trinidad and Tobago (TT) are highly vulnerable to climate change effects, resulting in the urgent need to mitigate Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Globally, countries that have diversified their energy sector, and incorporated Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) have simultaneously reduced their GHG emissions. As such, it is critical for TT to integrate RETs into their energy mix. One key sector where this is important is ecotourism, where historically, there is a slow uptake of RETs. This paper aims to identify the deterrents and critical success factors (CSFs) for renewable energy (RE) implementation in the ecotourism sector of TT. A thorough literature search was conducted to identify the gaps and unique factors for TT and these were utilised to develop and validate a survey. The survey was administered to key stakeholders in the ecotourism sector of TT. The collected data was analysed to determine the deterrents to RETs implementation in the ecotourism sector of TT and to identify the CSFs. The deterrents identified include the high cost of installing RE systems, lack of awareness, absence of infrastructure to facilitate the RE systems installation, lack of policies and regulations, inadequate technical know-how and training to implement RE systems, and the heavily subsidised electricity rate. Further analysis indicated that the respondents are willing to implement RETs in their companies if there are better financial incentives and options, opportunities for capacity building and collaboration with academia for innovation, research and development of RETs. The most popular RET of choice for implementation in this sector was identified as solar energy. Therefore, CSFs for RE implementation in TT include capacity building, infrastructure development, financial programs and opportunities, and policy development. These findings are crucial and play a vital role in policy development for RET implementation in the ecotourism sector in TT.