Turks and Caicos Islands

atmospheric circulation can be argued to result in wind pattern shifts and therefore wind energy potential.
Climate models are inconclusive for projections of wind speed changes (See Section 3). Similarly, changes in
solar radiation incidence and increases in temperature can impact the effectiveness of electrical generation
by photovoltaic cells and solar thermal energy collection. The projected increase in the number of sunshine
hours for The Turks and Caicos Islands over the next few decades, however, increases the viability of using
photovoltaic technology – even if only on the basis of increasing incidence of sunshine (IPCC, 2007b;
Contreras-Lisperguer & de Cuba, 2008).
Climate change, ocean-based impacts on the energy system include storm surge events and SLR. These
processes are a threat primarily to infrastructure located within the coastal zone, and within the impact
range of these events. Storm surge predictions for Grand Turk indicate that all but one of the power and
water utilities is located within the inundation zone for the surge + run-up scenario (ECLAC, 2008).
The likelihood of climate change impacting on energy systems will vary. However, an assessment of the
vulnerability of The Turks and Caicos Islands’ systems should be prioritized, especially in the case of
renewable energy sources that are being planned and which depend on specific climate parameters and
priority coastal infrastructure such as power plants.
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