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experiences, value system, and needs of the electric stable electricity supply. Thus leaders of electric utilities
utility is dependent on the behaviors of leaders of electric tend to invest in products and technologies that are
utility companies towards these investments. According mature and proven (Shah et al., 2013). Therefore, the
to Richter (2013b), leaders of electric utilities should inability to experiment with renewable energy production,
form new business units to overcome the challenges primarily due to the high capital costs of renewable energy
that past experiences may pose on implementing these technologies, may influence the time it takes leaders of
technologies. Richter noted that these business units electric utilities to develop strategies to implement these
should be separate from the fossil fuel operations of the technologies.
utility; leaders of these units should focus on creating
business models and strategies to operationalize on these ConCLUSIon
technologies. Based on the literature there exist some advantages
and disadvantages to adopting renewable energy
obSERVAbILIty technologies. Vithayasrichareon et al. (2014) stated
There continues to be growth in photovoltaic (PV) that although renewable energy technologies are
markets despite the effects of the global recession more expensive than fossil fuel technologies, there is a
and subsidiary cuts for renewable energy production in need to gradually transition to increasing use of these
Netherlands (Huijben & Verbong, 2013). In Netherlands, technologies. Vithayasricheon noted there is need
utilities changed their business models and are in the for supportive policies to encourage investments in
business of selling, installing, and monitoring customer renewables, as renewable energy technologies are not
PV systems. In comparison, in Germany, some leaders yet cost competitive with fossil fuel technologies. The
of electric utility companies have successfully adopted authors noted that in the absence of these supportive
and implemented renewable energy technologies without policies, transitioning to increased renewable energy
significantly changing the utility’s business models growth would result in high electricity rates for extended
(Richter 2013a). Leaders of German electric utilities periods unless carbon emission penalties surpass the
invested in large-scale renewable energy technologies costs to invest in these technologies. Some potential
but did not see any opportunities or threats associated strategies to implement renewable energy technologies
with investing in customer photovoltaic technologies, include strategies to reduce the complexity of renewable
although experiencing a decline in market share. German energy technologies by gaining knowledge and expertise
utility leaders saw no opportunities in changing their in these technologies, strategies to ensure that renewable
utilities’ business models by investing in customer-side energy technologies are compatible with the operations of
photovoltaic systems. the utilities, and strategies to reduce the risk in investing
these technologies and commercialize on the growth
There may be some technical limitations to observing the opportunities provided by these technologies. Leaders
impact of implementing renewable energy technologies of electric utility companies could also use the lessons
in regions outside the Caribbean. Electricity from learned form other utilities to assist with creating strategies
renewable energy sources are intermittent, Germany and to implement renewable energy technologies but need
other utilities within the United States have the benefits to consider the context in which these electric utilities
of accessing electricity from other states due to grid operate. Additionally, these strategies and the lessons
interconnections. Unlike electric utilities in larger countries, learned from observing other utilities should reduce any
there are no interconnections between Caribbean utilities. uncertainties leaders of electric utilities have because of
One of the Secretariat’s goals is to interconnect electricity the inability to experiment with these technologies.
grids in the Caribbean region (Caricom, 2013). The low
uptake of renewables in the Caribbean makes it difficult
for leaders of electric utilities to draw on the experiences Nneka Archer
of other member states, in implementing renewable Distribution Engineer
energy technologies. Therefore, in developing strategies Barbados Light & Power
to implement renewable energy technologies leaders
of electric utility not only need to consider the lessons
learned from other utilities but need to develop strategies REFEREnCES
suited to the context in which the utility operates.
Auth, K., Konald, M., Musolino, E., & Ochs, A. (2013).
tRIALAbILIty Caribbean sustainable energy roadmap (C-SERMS), phase 1:
Electricity is a commodity. Traditionally, leaders of electric Summary and recommendations for policy makers. Retrieved
utility companies focused on maintaining a reliable and from http://www.worldwatch.org/system/files/nPhase%20

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