The Republic of Suriname is a country located on the north-eastern Atlantic coast of South America. The country’s total area is below 165,000 Km2, which makes it the smallest country in South America. With a total population of 598,000 as of 2018, approximately 90% of the population lives in the coastal region while 10% lives in the interior (the Hinterland). The capital is Paramaribo and the official language is Dutch although English is widely spoken.

Suriname has a variety of natural resources. Bauxite (aluminum ore) mining continues to be a strong revenue source, and the discovery and exploitation of oil and gold has also added to the rise in their economy. Agriculture, especially rice and bananas, remains a strong component of the economy, and ecotourism is providing new economic opportunities.  Suriname is a Small Island Developing State (SIDS).

Amongst the Caribbean countries, Suriname has the lowest reliance upon fossil fuels for the generation of electricity. The most significant alternative source of energy is hydro electricity. Suriname is highly energy-independent due to the combination of the mining of fossil fuels and the significant wealth of hydropower, thus, energy-wise, it is a very self-sufficient country.

The major renewable energy system in Suriname is the Afobakka hydro dam which is owned by Alcoa (Suralco) with a capacity of 189 MW, which covers also 35% of the electricity supply of the country.

The annual solar global horizontal irradiation in Suriname is 1791.85 kWh/m2/year. There are several ground-mounted and rooftop PV systems in the urban areas and interior of Suriname. Rosebel Gold Mine Company owns the second largest RE system (5 MWp grid-connected PV system) and the electricity generated is used by the company for gold mining purposes. Other PV systems are the 27 kWp grid-connected PV system at the headquarters of the State Oil Company Suriname and 500 kW hybrid system (Diesel and PV) at Atjoni (a village in the interior). Besides these systems, there are a limited number of small PV systems which are installed in different places in Suriname, including the Hinterland of Suriname. There are also stand-alone PV systems in use by the telecommunication companies to power their telecommunication towers in the interior.