Curaçao Sustainable Economy

The Curaçao Sustainable Economy program aims to create a more sustainable economy in Curacao by focusing on six central themes: sustainable energy, mobility, education, employment opportunities, environmental protection and export. A consortium works together to research and determine which chains will have the optimal impact for the environment, the economy, society and trade.

The benefits of sustainable economy

Climate change continues to be an impending problem all over the world. To reverse the damage caused to our planet and create a safer and more sustainable world, there is an urgent need for large-scale alternatives to fossil fuels.

The island of Curaçao has an abundance of sun and wind – making it a highly suitable location to harvest renewable energy. At the moment, there is also an urgent need in Curaçao for lower costs on the import of oil, a new energy sector to support economic growth and trustworthy and affordable energy, clean drinking water and public transport. A transition to a sustainable economy would not only solve these problems, but also create more volume for the harbor, an increase in employment opportunities and many possibilities for knowledge development.

Social, economic and commercial opportunities

The shift towards a sustainable energy system has social, economic, and commercial benefits.The sustainable energy industry  requires continuous development of new technology, knowledge and skills. This creates new jobs and creates opportunities for research and education.

In the last 5 years, the cost of sustainable energy technologies decreased by around 70%. Along with this decline in cost, the request for renewable energy and mobility doubles every 5 years. This, combined with the fact that renewable energy is around 30% – 50% cheaper than energy from fossil fuels, shows the huge potential that investing in renewable energy has.

A switch to sustainable energy will also reduce the amount of CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere, leading to a cleaner, safer, and healthier environment. Moreover, since the sun and wind are free resources, energy costs will be lower for each household.

Towards a Living Lab Curaçao

The Living Lab Curaçao, set up in 2020-2021, is a joint research and development program that supports the transition to sustainable energy and mobility. The lab explores the possibilities and potential contributions of different sustainable chains (such as generation, conversion, storage, distribution and consumption) towards the transition to a sustainable economy in Curaçao.