Date of Conferral

2015

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Business Administration

Advisor

Michael Ewald

Abstract

Government officials in the Caribbean are encouraging the production of electricity from renewable energy sources to reduce the impact of high electricity rates to customers due to region's dependency on imported fossil fuel. The purpose of this single-case study was to explore the strategies electric utility managers in the Caribbean used to implement renewable energy technologies. The diffusion of innovation theory served as the conceptual framework for the study. Three managers of an electric utility in the Caribbean, who had created strategies to implement renewable energy technologies, participated in face-to-face semistructured interviews. These managers provided in-depth information on approaches used to implement these technologies. Three themes emerged from the thematic analysis of data that were collected from the semistructured interviews and document reviews: development and integration of renewable energy technologies into utility operations, avoidance of future investments in fossil fuels, and inclusion of key stakeholders in the transition to implementing renewable energy technologies. The implications for social change to the Caribbean region from a successful implementation of the technologies may include employment opportunities through the creation of new industries, eradication of energy poverty, and a healthier and cleaner environment. Also, government officials can save significant foreign exchange by not having to import fossil fuel for electricity generation and use these savings to invest in other sectors that can provide further economic and social growth for the people of the region.

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