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“The Caribbean represents a huge potential for renewable energy projects, primarily because of the ideal climate conditions which exist there for solar, wind and biomass power production.”

That’s according to Tony Fiddy, President of Waste to Energy Division and the Regional Vice President for Europe and Africa, Naanovo Energy Inc. Fiddy is one of three panelists who will address delegates at the inaugural “Going Green” Invest Caribbean Now Forum, part of this year’s Caribbean Tourism Organization’s 13th annual Sustainable Tourism Conference.

The CTO is partnering with Invest Caribbean Now, the brand founded by Felicia Persaud, the Guyana-born CEO of the New York-based digital media company Hard Beat Communications, to present the inaugural green forum.

The event is set for April 8, 2012 from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal and will also feature Greg Watson, head of the Climate Change team at the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) of The Inter-American Development Group.

Fiddy will focus on turning waste to energy in the Caribbean, one of the new renewable energy sectors that could transform the region from its dependence on foreign oil.

“Unfortunately, what Caribbean islands do not have plenty of is available land and the natural resources that tend to go along with that. As a result, most Caribbean islands have had little choice but to import fossil-fuels to generate power. In fact, low grade bunker-C power plants are still common in the Caribbean,” said Fiddy. “Fortunately, for us, Naanovo is poised to play a greater role in the future toward helping the Caribbean region transform itself away from fossil-fuels and into alternative energy. Our solar power, waste to energy and biomass energy solutions will help us do that and we look forward to being part of this transformation. What governments in the Caribbean region need to do is open the door for companies like ours to show them how it can be done and to take the bold steps necessary to invest in these kinds of alternative energy solutions. I hope to share some insights at the Going Green Invest Caribbean Now Forum in Guyana Conference as to how to accomplish that.”

As head of the WTE Division, Fiddy’s primary responsibility is to oversee the global deployment of WTE/Maax systems and to work with regional representatives of Naanovo and its subsidiaries in the development of WTE projects. This includes projects in the Caribbean, among them St. Kitts/Nevis.

Watson serves as the team leader for the IDB’s MIF environment and clean energy team, conceptualizing, overseeing, and implementing the MIF’s climate change projects, investments, and research in clean and efficient energy, natural capital, and adaptation. He leads several projects in the Caribbean, including a recent regional project on adaptation, projects on energy efficiency in Jamaica and Barbados, and a project on sustainable tourism and biodiversity in Guyana.