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A Caribbean Renewable Energy Statistics workshop will be convened from Wednesday, November 27, to Friday, November 29, at the Accra Beach Hotel, Rockley.

The workshop, which gets under way with an opening ceremony, at 9:00 a.m., is being hosted in partnership with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE), and the Latin American Energy Organisation (OLADE).

It is being held with the acknowledgement that high-quality energy statistics and information are critical if the sustainable energy projects in CARICOM member states are to be implemented.

The absence of quality data is one of the key hindrances to decision-making in the region in general, and specifically with respect to challenges on effective energy planning and tracking of renewable energy deployment.

Its primary objective, therefore, is to build capacity within countries to collect, validate and analyse energy statistics, including renewable energy, following international best practices and the regional and internationally agreed definitions and methodologies used for energy statistics.

The format of the workshop will be a combination of highly technical lectures and practical exercises. The target audience includes national statisticians and government officials who hold responsibility for energy data, particularly renewable energy.

Among the topics that will be covered in the sessions are: the classification and structure of renewable energy statistics; the construction of energy balances, strategies and methods for renewable energy data collection; data validation, estimation and dissemination; and target setting and monitoring.

In addition, participants will have an opportunity to share their experiences of energy data collection in their respective countries to identify challenges and good practices.

Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas and Suriname will make presentations which will focus on the challenges they experience with energy statistics. 

Belize and Haiti will place emphasis on the status and availability of statistics, while Barbados, Guyana and the Dominican Republic will provide some insight into their institutional frameworks for energy statistics.

Cuba and Dominica will deal with data collection methods, while Grenada, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago will focus on energy targets. CCREEE, IRENA, OLADE and the United Nations Statistics Division will also lead presentations and discussions.

CARICOM Energy Month is being observed under the theme Empowering People, Building Resilience.

CARICOM Secretariat

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