Episode 138

138 - Aruba - Caribbean’s First 100% Renewable Commitment

Published on: 24th January, 2019

Welcome to Episode 138, Solar Warrior!

In October 2009, Mike Eman was sworn in as Prime Minister of the small island state of Aruba, a dutch territory in the Caribbean, and over the course of 8 years established a leadership position in championing renewables. Aruba became the first Caribbean island to declare a 100% renewable target, way back in 2012, long before the recent fanfare we’ve covered here on the US cities also taking up that banner. He partnered with Sir Richard Branson & Jigar Shah via their Carbon War Room, and created the 10-island challenge, a call to other Caribbean islands to increase renewables penetration & wean off fossil fuels.   Today, Mike and I discuss how this all came to be, the obstacles his administration faced in passing this legislation, the lessons learned along the way, and the work he’s now doing to help other Small Island Developing States with similar visions for sustainability. His perspective is beautiful, so I hope you’ll take the time to check it out.   You can find more great founder stories and solar startup advice in the other 137 episodes archived over at www.mysuncast.com.   Thanks to our partners, Helioscope & Powerhub for supporting this show so you can listen to it for Free.   I am opening up 2 new coaching spots this quarter, so if you're interested please shoot me an email to get an application: Nico@mysuncast.com

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to his contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/.

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About the Podcast

SunCast
Your resource for developing a clean energy or climate tech career
Nico Johnson takes you into conversations with those at the forefront of Renewable Energy.

SunCast gives an inside look into what is happening in renewable energy. From conversations with the biggest Solar Panel manufacturers in the world to the small startups creating the future of renewable energy, such as carbon capture and battery technology breakthroughs.

SunCast is dedicated to providing the knowledge, research, tools and expert guidance you need to understand, grow and be ahead of the curve in the fastest-growing markets in the world.

Featuring over 600 conversations, Nico has interviewed people from Tesla, SolarCity, Trina Solar, Meyer Burger, Conergy, SunEdison, Energy Vault and even the US Government... to name a few. Covering topics such as Solar Power, Wind Energy, Batteries, Electric Vehicles, Carbon Capture, Finance, Hydrogen, and more.

You can watch SunCast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SunCastMedia

...or view the full archive of SunCast episodes here: https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes