Energy Office Endows $150,000 UVI Scholarship Fund to Expand Renewable Workforce

The V.I. Energy Office has committed $150,000 toward expanding renewable energy workforce training in the territory, endowing the University of the Virgin Islands’ Renewable Energy Technology Scholarship Fund to support students pursuing careers in the clean energy sector. The donation was formally presented Wednesday during a check presentation ceremony held at the newly commissioned UVI RTPark Solar Farm and Teaching Array. VIEO Director Kyle Fleming and Deputy Director Michael Jaffurs presented the contribution to Greg Guannel, director of UVI’s Caribbean Green Technology Center. The funding will support 10 specialized courses and one internship within UVI’s Renewable Energy Technology Associate of Applied Science degree program, strengthening what officials described as a direct pipeline into the territory’s renewable energy workforce. According to Fleming, the investment reflects a deliberate alignment of federal funding with local workforce development priorities. “By leveragi...