In 2023, electricity consumption in the U.S. Virgin Islands was overwhelmingly supplied by fossil fuels: about 97%, compared with just 3% from low-carbon sources. Solar accounted for all of that clean electricity share. This leaves substantial room to expand low-carbon electricity and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, along with their contributions to climate change and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in U.S. Virgin Islands?

Electricity consumption per person remains well below its historical peak. In 2023, it reached about 7,800 kWh per person—roughly 1,900 kWh, or 20%, below the record of 9,740 kWh set in 2004. These figures do not establish whether consumption rose or fell in the latest year, but they show that it has not regained its earlier high. Low-carbon electricity generation, meanwhile, reached a new record of 233 kWh per person, barely above the 231 kWh recorded in 2022. That modest progress is welcome, but much faster clean electricity growth is needed to support electrification and future demand.

Suggestions

The U.S. Virgin Islands can prioritize solar expansion, learning from island regions such as the US state of Hawaii and Cyprus, where solar supplies about 23% of electricity, and Samoa, where it supplies 13%. More rooftop and larger-scale solar installations, supported by storage and grid improvements, could substantially increase its clean electricity share. Cape Verde offers another relevant island example, generating about 14% of its electricity from wind and another 14% from solar; assessing local wind resources could help the territory develop a complementary source. Nuclear should also be considered as part of long-term planning for reliable low-carbon electricity, including an assessment of appropriately sized technologies. France, with roughly two-thirds of its electricity from nuclear, and the US state of South Carolina, with more than half, demonstrate nuclear’s potential contribution to a clean electricity system.

History

From 2014 through 2023, the supplied historical series records annual changes in solar electricity generation of zero TWh throughout. At the precision reported, this shows no substantial annual expansion over the decade, a disappointing pattern given the territory’s strong need for more clean electricity. However, these rounded figures do not mean that solar generation itself was zero or that smaller changes never occurred: the slight increase in low-carbon generation per person in 2023 is not necessarily visible in this TWh series. The priority now is to turn this broadly flat record into sustained, measurable growth in low-carbon electricity.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade