Promoting the energy transition in the Dominican Republic and achieving climate targets

Context

The Dominican Republic is one of the fastest growing economies in Latin America. This is also apparent in the expansion of renewable energy. Its share of power generation has more than tripled since 2017. Despite this increase and the conducive climatic conditions for its use, 85 per cent of the country’s electricity in 2022 continued to be generated using fossil fuels. As a result, absolute greenhouse gas emissions are still increasing.

In its climate targets (Nationally Determined Contributions, NDCs), the Dominican Republic has committed itself to reducing its emissions by more than a quarter by 2030 in comparison to the business-as-usual scenario for 2030. The large number of renewable energy projects currently planned will likely result in the share of power generated from renewable energy sources doubling again over the next few years.

Despite the substantial expansion, there is still considerable scepticism among policy-makers and the private sector. The issues of grid capacity and storage, in particular, are curbing expansion at normative and technological level.

Objective

The Dominican Government continues to expand renewable energy, electromobility and energy storage technologies and is reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.

Approach

• The project is training partners on the topic of grid integration and long-term energy planning.

• To this end, it has developed and implemented a forecasting system for power generation from wind and solar energy.

• Studies are determining the potential of solar and wind energy and the production of hydrogen, as well as the technical requirements of charging stations for electromobility.

• A pilot project is making it possible to provide electricity for a community in a rural location with a micro grid. Public participation (community energy) and collaboration with cooperatives are increasing acceptance among the population.

Last update: March 2023