The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has announced an expansion of its free, publicly accessible online SolarCity Simulator, adding coverage for three high-priority regions across Grenada as part of a global push to speed up the adoption of residential and commercial rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The newly covered areas include St George’s and Grand Anse in the parish of St George, Grenville in St Andrew, and Hillsborough on the island of Carriacou, opening the tool’s planning capabilities to stakeholders across a large portion of Grenada’s populated areas.
Designed to demystify the process of investing in rooftop solar, the SolarCity Simulator serves a broad range of users, from individual homeowners considering small-scale residential installations to business owners, private energy investors and local government agencies planning larger commercial and public projects. Through the interactive online platform, users can test a wide range of deployment scenarios, pulling location-specific data to generate accurate estimates of two critical outcomes: the technical energy generation potential of a given rooftop space, and the expected long-term financial performance and potential revenue streams from a completed installation.
Unlike many technical energy planning tools that require specialized expertise to access or operate, IRENA’s simulator is built to be intuitive and accessible for users with no prior background in renewable energy project development. This user-centric design ensures that even first-time potential solar adopters can gather the actionable data they need to make confident, informed investment decisions before committing time and capital to a full installation.
For local users in Grenada, the tool is also integrated directly into the Climate Resilience Portal hosted by the country’s Ministry of Climate Resilience, The Environment & Renewable Energy, making it easy to access alongside other national climate and renewable energy resources. Users can navigate to the simulator through the portal’s Data & Tools dropdown menu, selecting the Tools subcategory to locate the SolarCity Simulator.
IRENA has also opened a call for public feedback from users of the expanded platform, specifically requesting input on how the tool can better serve three core use cases: building public awareness of rooftop solar benefits, streamlining preliminary site assessments for potential projects, and supporting data-driven investment decisions. Agency officials note that user comments will be integrated into ongoing updates to the tool, ensuring it continues to evolve to meet the specific needs of adopters in Grenada and other regions where it will be deployed in the future.
As a small island developing state, Grenada has prioritized expanding renewable energy adoption to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels, lower energy costs for residents and businesses, and strengthen its national climate resilience. The expansion of the SolarCity Simulator aligns with both IRENA’s global mandate to accelerate renewable energy deployment and Grenada’s national climate and energy policy goals.