Optimism about renewable energy plans

Attorney General Ryan Pinder.

KEILE CAMPBELL

STAKEHOLDERS in the renewable energy sector are cautiously optimistic about the government’s plans to switch to cleaner fuels for power generation, particularly solar power, as Attorney-General Ryan Pinder revealed earlier this month that they were reviewing requests for proposals for solar panel designs for the island family.

Former president of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and the Confederation of Employers’ Energy and Environment Division, Debbie Deal, said she believes the government’s changes to the energy sector are preparation for the use of alternative energy sources in the future.

“We are not generating enough energy at the moment. And the projects that they’re talking about are going to take two or three years to get to the point where they can be used instead of diesel, the diesel generators that are available today. “I think that’s what they’re planning,” she said.

Ms Deal said no one would buy Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) outright, citing BPL’s $1 billion in debt and its aging equipment that inevitably needs replacement, which is why the government is using public-private partnerships (PPP ).

She warned against the government “serving and pandering to large developers” and allowing projects that will build the country rather than simply provide jobs.

Ms Deal said: “We need to stop the inflow and outflow of these large entities from BPL, the Government just need to stand their ground and say: You know what, you want to build it – great. And guess what? You’re going to build on it, you’re going to build your own power plant to take care of yourself, and you’re going to take care of 50 homes or three other businesses besides yourself. You will generate an additional megawatt to take care of the neighborhood.

He believes a foreign entity could help BPL turn a profit while providing “reliable, safe and clean energy.”

Guilden Gilbert, vice president of Alternative Power Solutions, said that while his company is too busy to respond to the government’s request for proposals, it supports the initiative as long as the government pursues it.

Gilbert acknowledged that the Bahamas will use fossil fuels “for the foreseeable future” and solar energy could be used as a supplement.

“I think the conversation comes up more often when we’re dealing with a situation like we had last weekend with reducing the BPL load,” he said. “When the power goes out, power becomes a priority, so people are more willing to talk about renewable energy sources.”

He acknowledged that some people are wary of solar energy, especially because of the upfront input costs, but the returns over time and greater energy reliability make it worth the investment.

He was careful not to believe that renewable energy generation would solve all of the country’s energy problems.

Commenting on making up the energy deficit, Gilbert said: “I think we have reached the point where the government would not consider allowing BPL to have power distribution on the Family Islands, but allow independent power producers to operate on the Family Islands. Instead of BPL operating or generating power, let independent power producers produce it, BPL can distribute the power, but these independent power producers operate under very strict regulations.