Solar Update

After writing about alternative energy last week, I did some calculations based on November's and December's electricity bills. In those months we used about 6500 and 4700 kWh each (less in December because the students had left). A safe estimate is that the center uses 72 MWh annually (once I have access to all the statements from 2009, I'll be able to know more accurately). At 50 cents/kWh, you can get an idea of just how much money is going into power.

I did some research and found a solar and wind power company based in Anguilla (another British Overseas Territory). They do installations all over the Caribbean, and being that they are also a British Territory they'll likely know about any incentives that might apply. I contacted them and asked about a system that could power our center. Using solar alone, they told me, it would take a 35kW system. The 140 panels that would make up that system would cost $210,000 installed. Astonishingly, that is only 5 years and 10 months of electric bills (assuming the cost of electricity on the island remains fixed). The rate we pay, however, is likely to rise. I am waiting now for the company's professional "return on investment" analysis, which will address this matter.

The going rate for a solar power system of this size is $6/watt. In the alternative energy industry these rates are pretty much standard across the board no matter who is doing the installation (I've been told most residential installations will go for about $7/watt). So instead of trying to find another company that will beat their rate, I will research this company and make sure they are reputable. I've asked them for references of past customers already.

This particular company also installs wind power systems and has a hybrid wind/solar option. With the hybrid system we could have clean energy 24 hours per day without the use of batteries - an appealing route to go. Either way, I think I'd probably also opt to remain tied to the grid for those rare cloudy and windless days. I'm expecting that the local diesel power company is going to do everything they can to resist this move, so hopefully we won't run into many snags there.

Last night I pitched the idea to one of the SFS Vice Presidents (the TCI center is currently hosting the annual directors and affiliates meetings). I explained how much we were paying, how dirty the current power generation system is, and how quickly the center would see a return on the investment. He was very receptive to the idea. In fact, his reaction was more favorable than I could have expected. Based on the preliminary numbers I provided, he gave the impression that there was no reason SFS wouldn't invest in it. He asked for a more detailed analysis (which the solar company is currently preparing) and said we could sit down and decide on a course of action. More than likely, he said, we'd need to purchase the system in installments. For example, we'd initially invest in a smaller system that would provide a portion of our power, and with the savings that provides we could reinvest and expand, eventually going completely off the grid. Things are looking very optimistic at this point!

Alternative Energy

Something that has bothered me since arriving on this island is power generation. 100% of South Caicos energy comes from a diesel powered generator, a dirty and extraordinarily expensive form of power generation. When it's all said and done, the School for Field Studies and, I assume, the residents of the island pay something in the range of 50 cents/kwh. According to the US Department of Energy, the American commercial sector pays an average of 10.3 cents/kwh (view the figures here: http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/table5_6_b.html). So why does it cost so much to use such dirty energy here?

South Caicos Power Plant

I can only speculate. In general, you can expect things to cost more on an island, but the South Caicos rate is more than double Hawaii's (which averaged 21.1 cents/kwh in the commercial sector). It's expensive to import all the diesel used in the South Caicos power plant, so that translates into a higher cost of electricity. The bill actually lists a fuel surcharge to cover the cost of the diesel - it makes up about 40% of the total expense. More than that, however, I believe the high cost has a lot to do with the fact that only one power company operates here - it's a monopoly. I'd be willing to bet that somebody with an entrepreneurial spirit and investment capital greater than my own could do quite well here.


Video of Exhaust
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkSzQaX76SE)

Barrels of what, I assume, is diesel fuel.

More importantly, however, this island has enormous potential when it comes to clean energy generation. The sun is reliably intense and wind is strong and consistent. The fact that nobody (especially the School for Field Studies) is currently taking advantage of this is pretty unbelievable. I've heard that it's been looked into before and that there was even some sort of resistance put up by the power company, but I plan to re-open the issue. At the very least, SFS should be generating a portion of its energy through clean alternatives.

If anybody out there reading this knows about setting up solar or wind generators, please get in contact with me, especially if you work for a company that does installations.