Energy-saving
techniques pay
By Ross Sheil
Jamaica Gleaner
Kingstown
Petroleumworld.com 07 02 06
FROM
BUSINESSES to households, Jamaicans are already
taking advantages of the potential offered by renewable
(naturally replaceable) energy sources and energy-saving
technologies.
These
range from the very biggest projects such as the
Alcoa bauxite refinery in Manchester, which sells
co-generated electricity to the national grid, to
households who will benefit from the islandwide
distribution of four million compact fluorescent
lights to replace their old inefficient incandescent
light bulbs.
To
meet its target of 10 per cent of Jamaica's electricity
generated from renewable sources by 2010 (up from
a current figure of six per cent), and 20 per cent
by 2020, government hopes a new national energy
policy and the passage of recent legislation will
encourage adoption of energy- saving technologies.
Seeing
itself as a torch-bearer within the Caribbean, Jamaica
has persuaded Venezuela to provide a grant under
the PetroCaribe agreement to launch a regional centre
of excellence for renewable energy here in Jamaica.
TECHNOLOGY
WIDELY AVAILABLE
As
price falls and performance rises, the technology
is becoming more widely available. "You can
use more energy-efficient technology to achieve
your goals of saving money. You don't have to turn
off your lights and sit in darkness when you can
just turn off your incandescent bulb and screw in
a fluorescent," reasoned Ruth Potopsingh, group
managing director of the Petroleum Corporation of
Jamaica (PCJ).
Kingston-based
Sweet Craft which manufactures plastic bottles merely
adjusted their production schedule to save. "In
a nutshell, the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS)
allows time-of-use billing where if you shut down
between the peak hours of six and 10 p.m., you can
realise significant savings," said Jodie Sommerbell,
managing director of Sweet Craft.
The
trade-off has been convenient, said Ms. Sommerbell.
With the four-hour period being used for maintenance
and above all a monthly reduction of between $300,000
and $500,000 in the company's light bill.
Noel
Arscott of Nasa Farms in Rhymesbury, Clarendon,
generates his own electricity from the manure of
his 100 cattle. The manure is converted into biogas
and is fed to a generator which also takes diesel.
BIODIGESTER
Mr.
Arscott was helped to design the biodigester by
the Scientific Research Council (SRC) which uses
similar technology to generate biogas at its Hope
Garden, St. Andrew headquarters.
"I
was searching for a way to deal with the waste that
was going into the drain and I knew about biogas
from reading about it on the Internet and so I contacted
the SRC who sent their technical people," said
Mr. Arscott.
The
system provides 30 per cent of his electricity needs,
and he estimates will refund its initial costs within
seven years. "But," he added, "One
of the difficulties is that up to now I have had
no financial assistance to start this up, suffice
to say its been pretty hard to make it on your own."
INCENTIVES FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY:
The Office of Utility Regulations has authorised
the selling of electricity to the national grid,
with sellers receiving 15 per cent more on their
prices, if their electricity was produced from renewable
sources.
The
government's Energy Fund, which aims to raise US$25
million over the next five years, will provide loans
towards renewable energy and energy-saving initiatives.
A
list of 29 energy-saving and renewable energy products
have been made GCT and import duty exempt.
The
National Housing Trust offers loans for the purchase
of solar water heaters.
Jamaica Gleaner
Sunday | July 2, 2006
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