In 2018, about 71% of Curaçao’s electricity consumption came from fossil fuels, entirely oil, while almost 29% came from low-carbon sources. Wind supplied roughly 27% of electricity, making it the island’s main clean electricity source, while solar contributed about 2%. Oil therefore remained dominant, leaving considerable scope to expand clean electricity and reduce the climate-changing emissions and air pollution associated with fossil fuels.

Is Electricity Growing in Curaçao?

Electricity consumption per person was well below its historical peak, although low-carbon generation reached a new record. In 2018, total consumption stood at about 4,770 kWh per person, down by roughly 3,670 kWh, or 43%, from the 2010 record of about 8,440 kWh. These figures do not establish the latest year-to-year trend, but the substantial shortfall is concerning as electrification creates opportunities for greater electricity use. Encouragingly, low-carbon generation reached about 1,390 kWh per person, around 280 kWh, or 25%, above its previous record in 2017.

Suggestions

Curaçao can build on its established wind generation while accelerating solar deployment. Denmark, where wind supplies about 59% of electricity, demonstrates the potential for a much larger wind contribution. For solar, island regions offer especially relevant examples: the US state of Hawaii and Cyprus each generate about 23% of their electricity from solar, while Cape Verde generates about 14%. Curaçao could draw lessons from these places when expanding rooftop and larger-scale solar installations. It should also consider nuclear electricity as part of its long-term clean electricity planning, learning from regions such as France, where nuclear supplies roughly two-thirds of electricity, and the United Arab Emirates, where it supplies about one-fifth.

History

The supplied historical figures show Curaçao’s low-carbon electricity developing through occasional wind additions rather than continuous recorded growth. From 1993 through 2000, reported annual changes in wind generation were zero at the data’s precision, followed by an increase of about 0.1 TWh in 2001. Further wind increases of about 0.1 TWh occurred in 2013 and 2018. The other listed wind observations—2008 and 2014–2017—showed no change at the reported precision, as did solar observations from 2013 through 2016. The wind gains are encouraging, but the many flat observations underline the importance of more sustained expansion of clean electricity.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade