The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) is pleased to announce the end of a successful educational outreach campaign to summer schools across the island.
In July/August 2024, a team from the Communications Department of the PURC visited 22 Summer Schools across Grenada. During the visits, a total of 759 children and 85 facilitators were sensitised on the roles of the PURC, which include:
- Informing the public on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy conservation to reduce carbon emissions
- Creating renewable energy programs to increase the penetration of renewable energy into the national grid
- Acting as the independent regulator of the electricity sector
The parish of St George had the largest number of children served — 350, followed by St Andrew — 274. Due to the passage of Hurricane Beryl, visits to Carriacou and Petite Martinique were cancelled.
Chief Executive Officer of the Commission Andrew Millet remarked, “The PURC is committed to enhancing public awareness on renewable energy solutions and energy efficiency, hence we are proud to have reached so many young minds through our Summer School Outreach Programme. This demonstrates the Commission’s dedication and commitment to the cause, and we plan to extend our visit to our sister islands in 2025.”
Presentations to the children highlighted various types of renewable energy, using local and relatable examples where possible. The team also focused on encouraging behavioural changes to conserve energy and tips on becoming more energy-efficient by identifying energy-saving products commonly found in households. This effort aims to reduce the island’s overall carbon emissions. The children won prizes for participating in competitive sessions and at the end of the presentations, each child received PURC promotional items, including bags, bottles, folders, pens, pencils, and pamphlets encouraging them to become Renewable Energy Champions.
Facilitators welcomed the PURC’s visit, which added valuable variety to their programmes. Sherin La Borde-Julien of SJ’s Tutoring in Marli, St Patrick expressed her gratitude: “I applaud the PURC’s Communication Team for incorporating their Summer School Outreach into our summer programme as it catered to added variety. The children were excited to learn about renewable energy, and the facilitators and I gained valuable insights about the PURC’s mandate.”
Kizzy Abraham, Programme Officer from the Grenada Sustainable Development Trust Fund (GSDTF) joined the Communications Team on some of the school visits, educating children about the importance of conservation and their role as environmental stewards. Abraham stated, “Participating in this summer programme for kids on renewable energy and conservation has been an incredibly rewarding experience. Watching young minds light up with curiosity and passion for preserving our planet has reaffirmed the importance of educating future generations about renewable energy and sustainability.”
The commission looks forward to making 2025 Summer School Outreach even bigger with the inclusion of Carriacou and Petite Martinique. Allecia Mason, Consumer and Public Affairs Officer at the PURC concluded that, “It was indeed an honour and a pleasure to engage with so many summer schools, helping to raise awareness of renewable energy among young and impressionable minds. Our goal was to inspire them to share this message with their parents, family, and friends. We also encouraged the children to consider careers in the renewable energy sector, as it offers significant benefits not only to them but also to the world at large.”
Presently, the commission supervises 2 renewable energy initiatives to facilitate Grenada’s transition towards sustainable energy usage and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels — diesel. The Self Generation Programme (SG) empowers individuals to generate electricity for personal use, sell surplus energy to Grenlec, or opt for a non-interconnected system to retain the energy they generate. Secondly, the Commission oversees the Small-Scale Independent Power Producers Program (SSIPP), which allows investors to sell all their generated energy to Grenlec. Efforts are being made to implement a Large-Scale Independent Power Producers Programme (LSIPP), where larger entities can generate and sell substantial amounts of energy to Grenlec. All the programmes will contribute significantly to the national grid and advancing our renewable energy goals.
For more information about the PURC and our pioneering renewable energy programmes, visit our website at www.purc.gd or connect with our dedicated team at 437-1602/536-7872.
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