In 2023, Barbados relied on fossil fuels for about 92% of its electricity consumption, while low-carbon electricity supplied just over 8%. Solar accounted for all of that clean electricity. Gas contributed about 3% of electricity consumption, within the fossil-fuel total. This leaves substantial scope for expanding clean electricity and reducing the climate and air-pollution impacts of fossil fuels.

Is Electricity Growing in Barbados?

The latest figures show a mixed picture rather than clear overall electricity growth. Electricity consumption reached about 3,900 kWh per person in 2023, roughly 184 kWh—or 5%—below the record set in 2012. That shortfall is concerning as electrification and AI increase future electricity needs, although comparison with a historical peak alone does not establish the recent annual trend. Encouragingly, low-carbon electricity generation reached a new high of 319 kWh per person, exceeding the previous 2021 record by 35 kWh, or about 12%.

Suggestions

Barbados can build on its solar foundation by expanding rooftop and larger-scale solar generation, supported by storage and grid improvements. Useful island comparisons include Cyprus and the US state of Hawaii, where solar supplies about 23% of electricity—nearly three times Barbados’s share. Cape Verde, with wind supplying 14%, offers another island example worth studying for complementary clean generation. Barbados should also assess nuclear electricity options suited to its future demand: France generates about two-thirds of its electricity from nuclear, while the United Arab Emirates generates one-fifth, illustrating nuclear’s contribution to a strong low-carbon electricity supply.

History

From the mid-2010s through the early 2020s, the supplied historical series records a solar-generation change of 0 TWh in every year from 2014 to 2023. At the precision reported, it therefore shows no measurable annual additions, a disappointing picture given the need to expand clean electricity. However, these rounded changes should not be interpreted as proof that solar generation never increased: the separate per-person figures show a new low-carbon record in 2023. More precise generation data would help reveal the pace of Barbados’s solar development.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade