Jamaica Goes Solar with Past CUBE Venture Partnership

Jamaica Goes Solar with Past CUBE Venture Partnership

November 2, 2018 • Erin Reitz • No Comments

Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness revealed his ambitions for the country to reach 50% renewable energy by 2030, up from the official policy of 30%. The aspiration was announced during the commissioning of his government office’s state-of-the-art solar PV array, a partnership with Solar Head of State, a former CUBE venture that seeks to help world leaders become green leaders by installing solar panels on government buildings.

“I believe that we can do better. Jamaica has sunshine all year round and strong winds in certain parts of the island,” said Prime Minister Holness. “I have directed the government to increase our target from 30% to 50%, and our energy company is totally in agreement. So I believe that by 2030, Jamaica will be producing more than 50% of its electricity from renewables.” (Read the full release here.)

When sharing the exciting news, James Ellsmoor, Director of Solar Head of State, reflected back on his experience with CUBE and the entrepreneurial path he’s navigated since graduating in 2016.

“The CUBE was a fantastic opportunity to kickstart the organization. As a startup nonprofit, seed funding was particularly hard to come by and so the assistance provided by CUBE was an important stepping stone in developing. Additionally the camaraderie and training of the CUBE program was crucial in developing our work,” Ellsmoor said. “Social entrepreneurship is a roller coaster. There have been times where the work seems like a thankless and unrewarding tasks, but this is certainly not been the overall experience. When looking at the long term impact of the work I have felt that sustaining innovation has been achievable and the motivation comes from seeing the real change created.”