Solar Energy Collaborations

The Energy Development in Islands Nations (EDIN) and U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) project displays how to approach vision and goal setting for a renewable energy initiative. USVI Gov. John P. de Jongh Jr. notes plans  to reduce the territory’s dependence on fuel 60% by 2025. 

To define and better understand the vision for solar energy, the governor created a leadership team and steering committee with particular duties. Their first duty was to engage key stakeholders in solar energy planning workshops. In the first workshop, the leadership team needed to share with the diverse public and private stakeholders about key components of the renewable energy project.

The organizers needed to engage their stakeholders in fine tuning the clean energy vision, setting goals, forming consensus about its direction, and setting community buy-in. The leadership must find a balance between the community in locating technology and finding paths to achieve the vision. The next phase was giving participants insights into the opportunities to fulfilling the fossil fuel reduction goal.

The leadership needed to start with information sharing to assist stakeholders with social concerns  to grasp technical elements, and vice versa. The information was shared to examine the issues from all sides. The biggest concern was securing buy-in and developing a shared vision and agreed-upon goals for moving forward. 

Solar Energy Plan

1. Share technical info about USVI energy profile, renewable energy technologies, policies, and barriers and opportunities from assessments. 

2. Facilitate dialogue that helps stakeholders understand opportunities and barriers from the leadership team’s perspective. This gives the team insight from the community’s perspective. 

3. Get consensus on a vision and establish broad goals. 

4. Organize an interactive group exercise to foundation for communicating project vision and goals to the public and generating grassroots support. 

5. Task groups with locating and applying answers to solar energy goals, and assign  stakeholders to co-lead the working group, with technical support from U.S. Department of Energy and National Renewable Energy Laboratory experts. 
 

The USVI project emphasizes the importance of sharing insight in a transparent and objective way, facilitating open dialogue between stakeholders, and exploring obstacles and opportunities from all sides when the vision and goals for a clean energy initiative. The USVI leadership team and steering committee succeeded in bringing  stakeholders with contrasting viewpoints to develop a vision and set goals that begin a path for fulfilling energy transformation. 

Involving a broad cross-section of public and private stakeholders to build vision created an opportunity for civil discourse which was important to the project’s long-term success. Involving detractors in the early planning enhanced transparency, and reviewed opposing views which achieved consensus. 

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