Subject: FW: Caribbean
From: Amitabh Desai <[email-masked]>
To: "John Podesta ([email-masked])" <[email-masked]>, Bruce Lindsey <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 20 Nov 2011 22:13:43 -0500

This email chain is from early October, but just FYI as background on the Caribbean / renewable idea:

-----Original Message-----
From: Darien Sturges 
Sent: Monday, October 10, 2011 5:14 PM
To: Amitabh Desai
Subject: Re: Caribbean

Definitely. I just wanted to make you aware that the opportunity exists. 

Fyi, I've been pushing this to Ira Magaziner as well, so didn't want to seem like I'm going behind his back...

----- Original Message -----
From: Amitabh Desai
To: Darien Sturges
Sent: Mon Oct 10 17:10:57 2011
Subject: Re: Caribbean

Thanks. I don't think it would be advisable to start discussing this with foreign governments until we have internal consensus on it. 

----- Original Message -----
From: Darien Sturges
To: Amitabh Desai
Sent: Mon Oct 10 17:08:32 2011
Subject: Re: Caribbean

Hi Ami,

Let me know if you have any thoughts on this (positive or negative). I would love to begin floating it during the APEC conference in Hawaii in mid-November. I believe Secretary Clinton will be there, as will many representatives from Pacific Island governments.

Darien

----- Original Message -----
From: Amitabh Desai
To: Darien Sturges
Sent: Thu Oct 06 20:43:57 2011
Subject: Re: Caribbean

Is there any further detail you could provide on this? How much would it cost, how would it be funded, etc? Thanks Darien. 

----- Original Message -----
From: Darien Sturges
To: Amitabh Desai
Sent: Thu Sep 22 11:06:49 2011
Subject: Re: Caribbean

On a broad level, Clinton Foundation would manage the political relationship  (Grenada, Maldives, Samoa, etc), and do the early-stage development work - the initial business planning, walking govt and the local utility through the economics and financing, advising through the RFP and policy process, etc.

GE would provide the technical perspective: resource assessment, grid modelling, system design and integration, advanced renewable and smart grid technology, etc. Especially for the first few flagship islands, GE would be willing to devote significant R&D and engineering resources from GE Energy, from their Ecomagination program and from their R&D labs.

The goal is to create one or more "100% sustainable" island roadmaps, and then move directly towards implementation. Almost have them be technology laboratories, to prove that isolated islands can be moved off diesel, and that it can be done technically, at a lower cost of electricity and an equal power quality.

GE would be able to bring low-cost finance, including several hundred million from EXIM and from OPIC. We have also discussed creating a project development fund, financed via GE Capital, that would be used to seed island projects. This would be in addition to low-cost capital from the World Bank, IFC and private banks. 

There are then a number of business models we could discuss - the Clinton Foundation could recoup its costs directly once the RFP for individual projects goes out, or stepping it up into an equity stake in the projects in partnership with government.  

GE is also fine with us working with others - Siemens, for example - as part of a wider islands initiative.

----- Original Message -----
From: Amitabh Desai
To: Darien Sturges
Sent: Thu Sep 22 08:50:56 2011
Subject: Re: Caribbean

How would it work?

----- Original Message -----
From: Darien Sturges
To: Amitabh Desai
Sent: Thu Sep 22 06:20:23 2011
Subject: Re: Caribbean

GE has approached about jointly developing a model high-renewable island (GE has a pilot in Hawaii, where they're helping the govt figure out how to go from 0% to 60% renewables - the idea would be to apply this to select island nations in the Caribbean and Pacific). The World Bank/IFC has offered to fund. Others want to be involved as well.

----- Original Message -----
From: Amitabh Desai
To: Darien Sturges
Sent: Thu Sep 22 03:03:23 2011
Subject: RE: Caribbean

What do you have in mind?

-----Original Message-----
From: Darien Sturges 
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 10:17 PM
To: Amitabh Desai
Subject: Caribbean

Ami

I saw President Clinton made a positive statement about renewable energy in the Caribbean at the opening plenary. I definitely think there's something cool we could do there..

Cheers,

Darien