Energy stakeholders weigh in on renewed national policy
Decarbonisation and affordability are not competing objectives in the electricity sector and when supported by effective policy, the two are increasingly aligned, an expert in renewable energy transition has said.
Chris Worboys, who is an expert in the fields of renewable energy, efficiency and policy through his work with the Bermuda Government and private industry, and now in Britain, prepared a response to The Royal Gazette on the renewed National Electricity Sector Policy on behalf of environmental charity Greenrock.
The Government’s new policy, which is open to public consultation until May 4, slashed renewable energy targets in favour of what were termed “least-cost” options, including the continued use of fossil fuels.
Mr Worboys, Greenrock’s renewable energy project lead, also highlighted “the risk of long-term lock-in of fossil fuel infrastructure” at a time when renewables can offer a lower-cost approach, and the “combined potential for wind and solar, battery storage, electric vehicles and dynamic tariffs is reaching a tipping point”.
Meanwhile, BeSolar, a local solar power company, said affordability could be attainable through distributed generation, including rooftop solar, by expanding access.
Mr Worboys said: “Climate science is unequivocal; deep reductions in emissions are required over the coming decade. The impacts of climate are not abstract; they affect homes, health, infrastructure and the natural environment upon which Bermuda depends.
“Internationally, energy policy is increasingly guided by carbon budgets and science-based targets. These targets are not just aspirational; they are a key policy mechanism that helps to reduce the cost of financing for new infrastructure by giving investors confidence in long-term direction.
“There is a clear opportunity for Bermuda to adopt a similar approach and in doing so, we would be following the example already set by many other small islands.”
He said that many comparable island jurisdictions had established clear targets to guide policy, investment and system planning.
Chris Worboys, who promotes renewable energy on behalf of Greenrock, said: “Globally, the energy transition is advancing at a rapid pace.
“The UK is progressing towards a predominantly fossil-free electricity system by 2030, China continues to scale renewable deployment at unprecedented levels and countries such as Spain have demonstrated that high levels of renewable energy can reduce system-wide electricity costs.
“These examples highlight that decarbonisation and affordability are not competing objectives. When supported by effective policy, they are increasingly aligned.
“We believe there is much to learn by looking at best practice policies from around the world.
“Perhaps the most important example of this is the impressive reductions in the cost of energy that have been achieved when governments take an active role in creating the ‘least-cost’ energy, rather than waiting passively for it to arrive.
“Policy, legislation and regulation are powerful tools that can reduce the costs of clean energy and encourage steady investment in the pipeline of projects that is required to progressively reduce the cost of electricity over time.”
Mr Worboys said the Government’s renewed policy, which seeks to abandon its target for the island to produce 85 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2035 and instead expects to produce 93 per cent from fossil fuels in 2030, deserved recognition for its focus on affordability and fairness.
However, he said that Bermuda also faced an important structural consideration. Speaking about long-term fossil fuel assets, Mr Worboys said: “We think it would be beneficial for policy to specifically establish appropriate guardrails to mitigate the risk of structural lock-in to any single large fossil fuel energy source.”
Last summer Belco president Wayne Caines said the utility “desperately” wished to pursue the fossil fuel liquefied natural gas.
LNG was rejected by the Regulatory Authority in the 2019 Integrated Resource Plan, the blueprint for the island’s future energy mix, which said there was little public support for it.
Mr Worboys added: “Although Bermuda’s progress in adopting renewables has been slow by international standards, distributed solar and energy efficiency have proven to be among the island’s most effective tools for reducing reliance on imported fuels and protecting households and businesses from price volatility.
“We think it is important to recognise this success. There are many good options to ensure this success continues and the benefits are shared more broadly across society without it needing to be perceived as a risk to the grid operator.
“Bermuda has never had a better opportunity to lay out a policy that can finally break the island’s dependence on fossil fuels, while reducing the cost of electricity.
“The technology is there, the investors are there and successful examples of how to do it right are all around us. Now we just need a plan to make it happen.”
He said that Greenrock would be looking at the policy in more detail in the days to come to make a formal submission to the consultation.
Robbie Godfrey, the chief executive of BeSolar, acknowledged that the renewed policy set out to deliver affordable and reliable electricity that was less dependent on imported fuels but said it also risked limiting the potential of distributed generation to decentralise electricity production, which he described as “one of Bermuda’s best energy solutions”.
Mr Godfrey, who has written an opinion piece on the issue in today’s edition, said: “At first glance, proposing higher tariffs for those who have already invested in distributed generation, for example rooftop solar, feels both alarming and punitive.
“These are individuals who have committed to a cleaner, more sustainable and healthier Bermuda — benefits experienced by all Bermudians.
“Indeed, we must not forget that the Government incentivised individual distributed generation adoption through a financial reimbursement scheme.”
Mr Godfrey was referring to the Solar Energy Rebate Programme, which offered benefits in the areas of solar electricity and solar water heating.
He said Bermuda’s renewed energy policy leant too heavily on managing the negative effects of distributed generation and not enough on unlocking its full potential.
He said: “If equity is the concern, the answer is not to weaken solar; it’s to expand access to it.
“Today, access is uneven. Not everyone owns a roof. Not everyone can finance a system. That is a real issue; it is caused by the absence of the mechanisms that would allow broader participation.”
While he praised a “community solar” initiative explored by the Government in the policy, expanding access for lower-income households, Mr Godfrey said it was “illogical” to now penalise early adopters with higher tariffs.
The policy document said it would involve the establishment of community solar projects that “allow households to purchase or subscribe to shares in larger solar facilities”.
Mr Godfrey said: “Legislation cannot remain aspirational. It must be prioritised and progressed alongside the policy itself. The question is no longer what to do — it is when it will be done.
“Without that, the policy risks using equity as a reason for caution, while delaying the very reforms that would solve the problem.”
He warned that more reliance on fossil fuel-based infrastructure, such as LNG, left Bermuda exposed to volatile global markets and the risk of locking the system into a set path.
“Once built, these assets create economic and political pressure to keep them fully utilised and paid off, even when cleaner, lower-cost alternatives such as solar are available,” he said.
Feedback on the policy can be submitted at forum.gov.bm/en/projects/nesp-2026. Consultation ends on May 4.
• To read the policy, see Related Media
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