In a column for the Antigua Observer, Antigua and Barbuda’s Environmental Awareness Group (EAG) discusses the benefits of solar energy and domestic power generation:
It has become imperative that our nation and the Caribbean expand the use of solar energy for economic and environmental purposes. The improper disposal of used engine oil has been plaguing Crabb’s Peninsula for decades now. While there is a need to develop and expand Harney’s oil recycling programme, we must also look into alternative ways of generating energy. There are four areas that will be touched on in this article: electricity generation, water heating, cooking gas and lighting.
We depend heavily on diesel and bunker oil for the bulk of our country’s electricity generation. With rising fuel costs, we have seen a continuous rise in the price of electricity, particularly in the “fuel variation” component added to our electricity bills. There is an abundance of clean energy in solar power.
The Public Utilities Act Part II Section 5 (1) states “The Authority shall have the exclusive right to generate, distribute, supply and sell electricity.” Permission needs to be sought for homes to produce their own solar-generated electricity if they are within proximity of the Authority’s grid. These laws need to be relaxed if we are to propel this nation towards energy independence. Homes with alternative power systems would have the ability to feed excess power back into the Authority’s grid.
One thousand homes generating 3-4kW, feeding 2kW back into the grid during daylight hours could produce two megawatts to assist the Authority in peak demand. This is possible when we view these issues with an open mind rather than maintaining existing laws prohibiting alternative energy generation. To remain myopic results in a dependency on large generating systems exporting valuable foreign exchange to purchase fuel.
Click over to the Observer website to read more. And the EAG website is always worth a visit.
Previously on Green Antilles: Independent renewable energy in Barbados.
[Photo: Andy Tyler]
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