The Energy Transition in Saba

Saba’s energy transition reflects the island’s commitment to reducing fossil fuel dependency, enhancing energy security, and promoting climate resilience within the Dutch Caribbean. The island’s energy mix has historically relied on imported diesel for power generation, but recent years have seen notable progress in renewable energy deployment, particularly through solar PV and battery storage. Saba’s Energy Sector Strategy, supported by the Netherlands, targets a phased transition toward 100% renewable electricity generation, with interim goals to significantly reduce diesel consumption through the expansion of solar microgrids and energy storage solutions. The Saba Electric Company (SEC) leads energy generation and distribution, managing a hybrid system that integrates solar power with diesel backup and battery storage to improve grid stability. There is no domestic production of critical minerals on Saba, and the island remains fully dependent on imports for key materials such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements essential for renewable technologies and storage systems. Core challenges include limited land availability, small market size, hurricane vulnerability, and high infrastructure costs. However, opportunities lie in distributed renewables, storage innovation, Dutch government support, and access to EU climate finance. Saba’s steady progress and clear policy direction position the island as a model for small-scale, resilient, and sustainable energy transition in the Caribbean.