Energy Minister inspects solar panel installation at Reeves Junior High School

The inspection was attended by: Minister of Energy and Transport, Hon. JoBeth Coleby-Davis; Dr. Sterling McPhee, Headmaster, CH Reeves School; Oral LaFleur, Project Coordinator (Ministry of Energy and Transport); Dr. Sterling McPhee, Director (CH Reeves); Lorneska Hepburn, Engineering Officer (Ministry of Energy and Transport); Delena Lightbourne, Project Manager/ANO Technician; and Bryan Taylor, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer (Ministry of Energy and Transport).

(BIS Photos/Anthon Thompson; Drone Photographer/Courtesy of Anthony Thompson)

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The government continues to deliver on its promise to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels by 2030.

On Thursday, August 22, 2024, the Minister of Energy and Transport, the Honourable JoBeth Coleby-Davis, led an inspection of the solar panels being installed on the roof of CH Reeves Junior High School on Robinson Road, a renewable energy project being implemented at several public schools.

She was accompanied by school principal Dr. Sterling McPhee, project coordinator Oral LaFleur, engineering specialist Lorneska Hepburn, ministry officials and representatives from AnO Tech, a company that is working to provide solar energy as a viable option.

The installation is a step towards reducing the school’s carbon footprint, reducing its dependence on fossil fuels and lowering its electricity costs, the latter of which was welcomed by the school’s principal.

Approximately 144 panels will be installed at the school at an estimated cost of $130,000. The work is expected to be completed by the end of August, in time for the start of school on September 2.

The Minister confirmed that the Ministry of Energy and Transport will work with the Ministry of Education to analyse the electricity bills of the various schools where the panels will be installed to see what the overall energy savings will be.

Principal McPhee also saw this as an opportunity to educate students about renewable energy sources and their benefits to the environment.

The minister noted that the solar panel initiative is spreading to other schools across the country, another step towards energy reform promised in the government’s “Agenda for Change”.