Saint Lucia: The Land, the People, the Light

Saint Lucia is transitioning its energy system to reduce diesel dependency and increase climate resilience. A key milestone was the 2018 completion of a 4 megawatt utility-scale solar farm, which produced 24.7 million kWh of electricity in its first three years. The island aims to have 35 percent of its electricity supplied by renewable energy by 2025 and to reduce climate pollution by 23 percent by 2050. Current efforts include the planning of eight solar microgrids to power critical infrastructure, such as hospitals and schools, to ensure operational continuity during disasters. The document highlights the role of 'catalytic' philanthropic capital in unlocking private investment and the importance of the Climate Finance Access Network (CFAN) in helping small island developing states navigate the complexities of securing climate finance.

• Saint Lucia's first utility-scale solar farm, a 4 megawatt system completed in August 2018, produced 24.7 million kWh of electricity during its first three years of operation. This output was sufficient to power 3,500 homes and resulted in savings of more than $3 million and 1.5 million gallons of diesel.
• The island has established specific climate and energy targets, including a goal to have 35 percent of its electricity supplied by renewable energy by 2025 and a target to reduce climate pollution by 23 percent by 2050.
• To enhance resilience against hurricanes and disasters, Saint Lucia is developing eight solar microgrids designed to power critical facilities, including a hospital, a polyclinic, a police station, a water treatment facility, the Ministry of Infrastructure building, and three schools (infant, primary, and secondary).
• Philanthropic funding played a critical role in the initial solar farm project by unlocking private investment at a ratio of $17 of private investment for every dollar of philanthropic funds.
• Securing climate finance remains a primary obstacle for Saint Lucia and other small island developing states. To address this, the Climate Finance Access Network (CFAN) provides locally hired advisors to help countries translate national needs into proposals that meet the requirements of funders.

APA

RMI (2024). Saint Lucia: The Land, the People, the Light. https://rmi.org/resources/saint-lucia-the-land-the-people-the-light/

Chicago

RMI. Saint Lucia: The Land, the People, the Light. 2024. https://rmi.org/resources/saint-lucia-the-land-the-people-the-light/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Saint Lucia: The Land, the People, the Light |date=28 August 2024 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/saint-lucia-the-land-the-people-the-light/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2024saint, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Saint Lucia: The Land, the People, the Light}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2024}, month = aug, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/saint-lucia-the-land-the-people-the-light/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }