In Haiti and other islands in the Caribbean, the need is not just for energy access. Communities and villages need to be more resilient to natural disasters and other socioeconomic shocks such as internal conflict, fuel price fluctuations etc. Off-grid energy and innovative use of energy to provide decentralized services such as healthcare and education can help can help communities to recover from disasters and crises to an extent. It is not without limitations, however, as it tends to be more expensive for consumers than the grid. However, in areas where there is no grid, or the grid is unreliable, decentralized energy can be the best solution. Pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solutions have proven effective in other countries and might be a good solution in Haiti.
Convinced that decentralised rural energy could be a good method to electrify and stimulate development in the most remote places of Haiti, OBSERVEH and Smart VIllages decided to organise “Energy Week” in January 2017 to promote the smart management of energy and transport in Haiti.
