Workshop: IRENA SolarCity Simulator – Grenada
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) organised a virtual capacity development workshop to launch the newly added areas from Grenada to the Agency’s open web-based application; the SolarCity Simulator. Now, users can assess rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) potential for Grenada’s St. George's and Grand Anse, Grenville and Hillsborough (Carriacou).
Grenada has achieved around 6.4 MW of installed renewable energy capacity in 2024, of which 5.3 MW comes from self-generation. Building on this momentum, the country is actively encouraging households, businesses, and public institutions to adopt rooftop solar through initiatives, such as customer interconnection and net-metering, led by Public Utilities Regulatory Commission through the Self Generator Program and the Small-Scale Independent Power Producer programs. Such programmes are making it easier for citizens to produce their own clean, affordable power and contribute to the country’s sustainable energy future.
To support these efforts, the IRENA SolarCity simulator, developed under the Global Atlas for Renewable Energy Initiative, enables public and private sectors stakeholders from Grenada to assess cities’ technical and financial potential for rooftop solar PV installations that could lead to potential economic savings and social-environmental benefits. According to the SolarCity simulator assessment, installing 30 MW of rooftop PV system capacity in the selected four cities could meet 28.5% of Grenada’s electricity demand.
Mr. Lesli Smith, Director of the Renewable Energy Division at the Ministry of Climate Resilience, the Environment and Renewable Energy, Grenada, emphasised the significance of this development: "What's important for us here in Grenada is that we now have the IRENA SolarCity Simulators. Rooftop solar PV may seem small or complex within broader grid planning, but it is essential. It can play a meaningful role in helping the country meet its NDC commitments, our national renewable energy targets, and the goals of the Sustainable Development Plan 2035. We are also preparing to launch our flagship programme from the Ministry, Solar for All, which will focus on expanding access to rooftop solar and accelerating nationwide adoption."
During this event, IRENA also presented the SolarCity Simulator version 3.0, developed with the support of the Government of Norway, to assist Member States in advancing evidence-based energy planning and informed decision-making for rooftop solar PV programmes. The updated version delivers faster access and smoother user experience, enabling the simulator to scale to more cities while supporting multiple simultaneous users. It also includes powerful new tools such as a building location finder, multiple satellite imagery options for rooftop visualization, editable input fields, and hourly generation profiles for all three case studies, along with several other enhanced functionalities.
The launch event brought together around 41 participants, including high-level representatives from government ministries, power utilities, development partners, financial institutions, the private sector, and civil society, reflecting strong national engagement and collaboration.
This work for Grenada is undertaken in collaboration with the Ministry of Climate Resilience, the Environment and Renewable Energy of Grenada and with support from the Government of Denmark, with the aim to assist Grenada in advancing its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets by expanding rooftop solar adoption nationwide.
Check out the SolarCity Simulator: https://www.irena.org/Energy-Transition/Project-Facilitation/Renewable-potential-assessment/SolarCity-Simulator
For further information contact: IRENA Renewable Energy Resource Assessment Team (GARE@irena.org).