  The high dependence on imported fuels and the potential for both climate
change mitigation and economic diversification make Barbados' energy system
particularly interesting for detailed transformation analysis. An open source
energy system model is presented here for the analysis of a future Barbadian
energy system. The model was applied in a scenario analysis, using a greenfield
approach, to investigate cost-optimal and 100% renewable energy system
configurations. Within the scenarios, the electrification of private passenger
vehicles and cruise ships through shore-to-ship power supply was modelled to
assess its impact on the energy system and the necessary investment in storage.
Results show that for most scenarios of a system in 2030, a renewable energy
share of over 80% is achieved in cost-optimal cases, even with a growing
demand. The system's levelised costs of electricity range from 0.17 to 0.36
BBD/kWh in the cost-optimal scenarios and increase only moderately for 100%
renewable systems. Under the reasonable assumption of decreasing photovoltaic
investment costs, system costs of a 100% system may be lower than the current
costs. The results show that pumped hydro-storage is a no-regret option for the
Barbadian power system design. Overall, the results highlight the great
potential of renewable energy as well as the technical and economic feasibility
of a 100% renewable energy system for Barbados.
