Haiti Green Growth Through Renewable Energy Integration

Project Summary:

The project aimed to boost green economic growth in Haiti by supporting the Government’s efforts to reach 25 percent renewable energy use by 2020. Access to electricity in Haiti is estimated at 30 percent overall and at only 5 percent in rural areas, leaving more than 7 million Haitians without basic services and the competitive edge that allows for economic development opportunities. By evaluating the viability of tapping into regional hydroelectric, wind, and solar potential in Haiti, this World Bank KGGTF-funded green growth implementation program aims to support the Haitian government as it synchs up efforts to expanded energy access and reach its goal of using 25 percent renewable energy by 2020. An economic analysis will gauge the possibility of integrating more low-carbon renewables into Haiti’s somewhat unreliable main power system, and explore the technical and financial feasibility of connecting with the Dominican Republican grid in an effort to provide more efficient, clean, and reliable electricity, allowing Haiti to leverage green growth and climate change mitigation strategies for economic development. The economic study will also address the potential green growth impacts of renewable energy on job creation, markets, innovation, and development countrywide.

List of Activities:

• VRE Integration Study
• Interconnection with DR – feasibility study
• Economic analysis: methodology and implementation
• Dissemination of the study

Outcomes:

Output 1:

• Clarify the economic viability and technical feasibility of Haitian VRE grid integration

Output 2:

• Evaluate the economic potential for a future interconnector between Haiti and DR in scenarios with increasing levels of VRE

Output 3:

• Quantification of growth impact from VRE expansion

Output 4:

• Dissemination workshop with Government of Haiti and plan for follow up project on conclusions from VRE integration and interconnection feasibility studies

Outcomes:

The activity informed the Government of Haiti on the technical viability to expand energy access utilizing VRE technologies and the economy wide effects of such expansion. The study determined the maximum rate of VRE penetration, the opportunities/ challenges of interconnections with Dominican Republic and the overall economic impact of increasing the contribution of VRE technologies, considering multiple interacting mechanisms across sectors.

Collaboration with K-Partners and Others:

• WBG internal partners: ESMAP, Office of the Chief Economist (LAC), Climate Investment Fund.
• K-Partners: New and Renewable Energy Resource Center of Korea  (NRERC) on technical feasibility of VRE integration. Korean Private Sector is also very active in Haiti, and a better knowledge on VRE integration would imply need for smart solutions on grid management (technologies in which Korean firms excel).
• Other external partners:  EDH (L’Électricité d’Haïti), Ecole Des Mines de Paris (and its Research Group on Energy Systems Optimization), Haiti Public Utilities (Haiti State University and Quisqueya University), and  International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)