Aruba has a clear vision

Aruba is an example when ik comes to having a vision and going green. Not that they do not have their own problems. But there is much we can learn from them. They have a clear vision and go for it. Prime minister mike Eman shows leadership.

Aruba To Host The Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum 2013

Rosalie Klein, The Morning News Aruba

Thursday, Mar 7th, 2013 14:36 UTC | Comment Article

ORANJESTAD (TMN) -- Aruba's Prime Minster Mike Eman was very proud to announce yesterday morning that this year, the annual Green Aruba Energy Conference conducted in the fall, will partner with New Energy Events LLC, to host the 5th Annual Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum, (CREF), the largest such event in the region.

They report attendance of last year's conference was over 400 delegates from 14 countries. This year, they would expect more, as the imperative for harnessing renewable energy sources by Caribbean nations becomes increasingly evident.

Present for the announcement was Energy Events CEO Matthew Perks, who described Aruba as a "world-class conference destination. It has excellent communications and is fortunate to have a government that is interesting in showca­sing the country to the international community...It is just as important to us to bring CREF to a country where we believe the government is working aggressively to move away from fossil fuels and into to types of energy that will be sustainable and affordable in the long term."

Citing the fact that 20% of Aruba's energy is already obtained from renewable sources, with a plan to be 100% renewable by 2020, Mr. Perks declared "The government's plans are ambitious, and look forward to finding a platform through CREF for Aruba to lay its plans before international investors and promote Aruba as a free-investment destination."

"We like to say that CREF is where Caribbean renewable resources meet international investors and technology. Every constituency we need to transact change and move forward will be in Aruba later this year."

Both the Prime Minister and Mr. Perks agreed that an important issue for the upco­ming conference will be addressing how to make energy more affordable for regional nations, which affects the majority of the island nations. "The price of electricity is cripplingly high across the regions, we all know that we need to act now," he continued.

The CREF/Aruba Green Energy Conference will take place Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, October 9-11th at the Westin Aruba Resort in Palm Beach. The CREF website also went live on March 5. More information regarding past speakers and CREF events can be viewed here: www.caribbeanenergyforum.com. This year's agenda and roster of speakers is yet to be confirmed, but registration forms can be filled in on the site.

Joining the Prime Minister and Mr. Perks for the announcement was the Minister of Finance, Telecommunications, Energy and Utilities, Mike de Meza and Director of Utilities Aruba, Frank Hoevertsz. (http://news.caribseek.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=40075%3A&Itemid=338, Accessed on 7 March 2013)