Bahamas Eco-Forum

Wilson City Plant to Use Diesel Rather than HFO

by Larry Smith

Environment Minister Earl Deveaux recently confirmed that heavy fuel oil would not be used at the $105 million Wilson City power plant being built on Abaco. However, Bahamas Electricity Corporation Chairman Michael Moss said a final determination on possible higher rates for Abaco consumers as a result had not  been made.

MAN Diesel Canada are building the 48-megawatt plant some 14 miles south of Marsh Harbour and about two miles from the coastal ruins of Wilson City, the fabulous lumber town that operated for about 10 years in the early 1900s. It is expected to be operational by June.

The site consists of a 25-acre fenced clearing, with another 75 acres of forested land assigned for future expansion. And the southeastern corner of the cleared site is less than 2100 feet from unspoiled tidal mangroves. A terminal will be built for tankers to offload fuel via a submarine pipeline. Fuel will then be pumped through an underground pipeline some two miles to the power plant.

The prospect that the new plant would burn heavy fuel oil (also known as bunker C) - the most polluting of all fossil fuels - aroused much opposition from concerned residents and environmentalists on Abaco. The power plant is sited in an ecologically sensitive area of tidal creeks and mangroves connected by dozens of blue holes.

BEC Narrows RE Field

by Larry Smith

Six companies are waiting for the Bahamas Electricity Corporation to make a determination on proposals submitted in Phase II of the Corporation's renewable energy RFP. Four of the proposals are for waste-to-energy plants in Nassau, and the remaining two have proposed solar and wind projects on several islands.

The tendering process began in May 2008. Thirteen companies were shortlisted in September 2008 from a field of 30 initial proposals using four technologies - solar, wind, hydrokinetic and biomass.

Currently, all of the Bahamas' electricity needs are provided by imported fossil fuels. BEC wants to generate at least 10% of its power from alternative fuel sources.

BEC Invests $105 Million in Oil-Fired Power Plant on Abaco

by Larry Smith

Despite efforts to move towards a renewable energy future, the government's energy chiefs are investing $105 million of scarce public funds in an oil-fired power plant that will be able to meet demand on the island of Abaco for decades.

The plant is being built on a 25-acre site in the pine forest about 14 miles south of Marsh Harbour by MAN Diesel Canada. It will feature four state-of-the-art heavy fuel oil generators that will produce 48 megawatts of electricity.

German Firm to Help BEC with Renewable Energy Plans

The German engineering firm, Fichtner, has been awarded a half-million-dollar contract to advise the government on the energy sector, which will include an audit of the Bahamas Electricity Corporation and advice on the implementation of renewable energy.

In June, the government guaranteed a $211 million rescue loan for BEC. As of May, the utility had nearly $99 million in receivables and $130 million in payables. Earlier, the government had signed two technical cooperation agreements with the Inter-American Development bank aimed at strengthening the energy sector and integrating renewable energy projects into the electricity grid.

Fichtner will conduct a technical, financial, managerial, and operational review of BEC, including the establishment of key performance indicators. It will also develop a strategic expansion and financing plan emphasizing the inclusion of alternative energy technologies. The regulatory framework will also be reviewed with a view to opening the sector to independent power producers.

These projects are expected to take 10 to 12 months to complete with interim reports being generated to allow action where required. Fichtner has a worldwide network of branches, project offices and associated companies in over 50 countries.

In addition to development banks, commercial banks, private investors and industrial enterprises, Fichtner's clients principally include public institutions such as ministries, local government agencies and research institutes.

Energy Efficiency Workshop Identifies Savings for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises

by Larry Smith

About 50 small businesspeople and consultants took part in a free one-day workshop on energy efficiency in Nassau on March 16 staged by the private sector arm of the Inter-American Development Bank.

The workshop was part of the GREENPYME programme launched last year by the Inter-American Investment Corporation, which provides financing and advisory services to businesses throughout the region.

GREENPYME was set up to provide know-how, tools, and technical and financial support for implementing energy efficiency measures and clean technologies to help small and medium sized enterprises become more competitive.

BECs Shortlist for Renewable Energy Projects

by Larry Smith

Of the 13 companies that have submitted renewable energy bids to the Bahamas Electricity Corporation, two are proposing solar pv projects, two are proposing a combination of wind and solar generation, one is proposing wind generation only and one is proposing ocean thermal energy conversion. The remaining seven bids are for waste-to-energy projects.

Bahamas Renewable Energy Corp - wind/solar
Bahamas Renewable Energy Resources - waste-to-energy
Cambridge Development Inc - waste-to-energy
Enfinity - solar
Exuma Waste Management - waste-to-energy
GA Solar -solar
Globally Green Energy Consortium - waste-to-energy
GPEC Global Inc/Energy Solutions Bahamas - waste-to-energy
Norwin America - wind
OCEES International - OTEC
Plasco Energy - waste-to-energy
Protocol Energy International - wind./solar
Smart Power - waste-to-energy

The 13 bids will be evaluated by a consultant funded by a grant from the Inter-American Development Bank. Environment Minister Earl Deveaux has said he wants a waste-to-energy provider approved by March at the latest.

Bahamas Green Energy Initiatives

by Larry Smith

State Environment Minister Phenton Neymour told a group of engineers recently that the Bahamas was "highly vulnerable" to rising oil prices because our economy relies totally on fossil fuel imports - at a cost of a billion dollars last year alone.

"In the long term one can expect that supply and demand pressures that have temporarily eased will return as global economic activity returns," he said. "This vulnerability directly impacts our ability to secure the goods and services required to drive our economy."

There is widespread agreement on this point. In fact, representatives from 100 countries are meeting in Germany this week to set up the International Renewable Energy Agency - an intergovernmental body formed to address the "urgent need to transform the energy sector to one that uses renewable energies and energy-efficient technologies."

IRENA was formed to tackle the obstacles to this goal - such as counterproductive regulatory frameworks, technical barriers, insecure financing of renewable energy projects, and lack of awareness of renewable energy opportunities. It aims to speed up the global transition to a sustainable energy sector.

And after years of muddling, we in the Bahamas now seem to be well on the way to embracing this goal. A preliminary national energy policy has been drafted, and other initiatives are in the works that could significantly reshape our fossilised energy sector, which is growing at 8 per cent a year.

Bahamas Seeks to Develop 'Sustainable Energy Framework'

by Larry Smith

The government is searching for consultants to advise on the development of a policy and technical framework to implement renewable energy in the Bahamas. The Inter-American Development Bank is contributing $700,000 towards the cost of this 12-month programme.

The immediate goal is to upgrade the Bahamas Electricity Corporation's operational and financial capacity in order to minimise the country's dependence on fossil fuels. The consultants will also be expected to set a strategy for BEC's expansion, together with the integration of alternative energy sources.

The consultants will undertake an operational review of the corporation, determine how to integrate renewable power into the generation mix, and recommend a regulatory framework for sustainable energy independence.

Expressions of interest are being sought by the BEST Commission of the Bahamas Ministry of the Environment - the deadline for submissions is this week. Six applicants will then be shortlisted and asked to present full proposals based on a detailed terms of reference.

The government is also looking for a consultant to promote sustainability through energy efficiency and conservation programmes together with demonstration projects in the public and private sectors.

The consultant will be expected to design and implement a national energy efficiency plan, undertake an assessment of renewable energy potential in the islands (with particular reference to wind, solar, bioemass and ocean thermal energy conversion), and implement a long-term public education programme for sustainable energy.

Again, six firms will be shortlisted and asked to submit full proposals based on detailed terms of reference. The value of this 12-month contract is $750,000, also funded by the IDB.

Notes From the Electric Road

by Larry Smith

Hundreds of auto and energy industry leaders, as well as scores of media representatives, were in Washington DC this week for the Electric Drive conference - an event aimed at transforming the transportation industry.

There has been unprecedented interest in electric vehicles lately, and some conference sessions were standing room only. Many of the speakers made special note of this heightened interest in a technology that is still a few years away from mass production.

Many also pointed to the irony of the big three auto chiefs driving from Detroit to Washington in hybrid cars to ask Congress for billions of dollars to restructure their companies as conventional vehicle sales plummet.

Perhaps 13 million new cars and trucks will be sold in the US this year, down from more than 16 million in 2007. And some analysts predict that sales could drop to 11 million next year. There are 250 million vehicles on the road today in the United States and 750 million worldwide, and this figure is expected to grow to more than a billion in a few years

Bahamas Should Consider Hawaii Energy Initiatives

By Doug Cotton

As the national energy policy committee considers ways to move the Bahamas towards a cleaner energy future, recent steps by the state of Hawaii may offer some inspiration.

Hawaii’s economy also depends on imported oil, although - like The Bahamas - it is blessed with abundant sources of sun, wind, and ocean energy.

Earlier this year the state unveiled a Clean Energy Initiative, providing a road map towards a future where 70 per cent of electricity and ground transportation needs will come from renewable sources by the year 2030. Currently, the state gets only 10 per cent of its energy from renewable sources.

In June, the state amended its building code to require solar hot water heaters in all new homes beginning in 2010. In October, the government and major electric utilities agreed to implement energy reduction measures and increase the amount of renewable power generation to meet the 70 per cent goal.

These measures include the following: