BREA welcomes new board of directors

The Barbados Renewable Energy Association (BREA) has elected a new board of directors for the 2021-2022 period during its recent annual general meeting, which was held virtually.

Following the delivery of the Presidents’ Report by outgoing President Jerry Franklin, the election was conducted with Khalid Grant being elected president unopposed.

Stephen Worme was also elected unopposed as the new vice president and Peter Gollop as treasurer.

The other board members comprised of Jerry Franklin, Aidan Rogers, Joshua Hunte, Kim Griffith-Tang How and Lisa-Ann Fraser.

The executive also extended a welcome to Khalid Grant as newly elected president to the BREA Board for the 2019- 2020 period.

Franklin in his address to the association, noted that 2019 to 2021 period was a trying one with the effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns bringing the previously steady growth in the sector to an abrupt halt.

He stressed the need for the association to continue being at the forefront in its advisory role to the government on the regulatory and technical requirements for achieving the target of 100 per cent renewable energy for Barbados by 2030.

The newly elected president, Khalid Grant, an engineer by profession and the principal of Solar Genesis Inc., is an experienced renewable energy professional whose career has spanned over 10 years between Canada and Barbados.

He has designed and project managed over 200 distributed solar PV projects (5MW+) ranging from grid tied to battery backup, lithium-ion energy storage and off grid.

This experience was gained through being the Program Manager at Panasonic Eco Solutions Canada; and a solar designer and project manager at Solsmart Energy Solutions.

His intention is to apply the knowledge, experience and industry contacts from Canada towards helping his home country of Barbados become 100 per cent renewable energy powered by 2030.

Grant is a former board member of SolarShare, North America’s largest renewable energy cooperative.

He is a past member of the Photovoltaic Installation Advisory Committee of the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology, and he operates SolarBarbados.com as a public awareness initiative.

(PR)