Bahamas Eco-Forum

BEC Request for Proposals on Renewable Energy

by Larry Smith

Top BEC officials told me recently that they were finalising the terms of reference to issue a Request for Proposals  from interested companies to develop renewable energy projects in the Bahamas.

The RFP would be issued "within weeks" according to Jerome Elliot, a senior engineer at BEC who heads a special committee on renewable energy appointed in December by corporation chairman Fred Gottlieb.The committee has produced three progress reports so far and is working on an implementation plan.

Health Minister Talks About Garbage Reduction

by Bahamas Information Services

Recycling and mulching techniques could help to reduce the amount of garbage that is being deposited at the Harrold Road dump, according to Minister of Health and Social Development, Dr. Hubert Minnis.

Dr. Minnis said he will present a comprehensive report to Cabinet outlining the role that recycling and mulching can play in garbage reduction. He said a study completed by local environmental health officials indicated that at least 40 per cent of garbage within The Bahamas can be recycled and another 20 per cent can be mulched.

“And so therefore, once you have the appropriate programmes in place, those two measures can automatically remove 60 per cent of the garbage, which means that the lifespan of the landfill can quadruple while eliminating many of the fires we see at the site today," the minister said.

Editor's Note: At least two proposals are in the works for large-scale waste reduction and waste to energy projects in the Bahamas. More information will be provided on this site shortly.

Abaco Gets Sustainable Development Committee

Contributed by Charlotte Dunn

Friends of the Environment has formed a sustainable development committee "to reach out to those interested in Abaco's environment - whether it be sustainable development, preservation or education - and to develop collaborations and partnerships."

Initial members include Michael Adams, Ray Brown, Lindsey Delaplaine, Diane Claridge, Charlotte Dunn and Anita Knowles. The committee plans to hold workshops on sustainability issues and develop a certification programme signifying attendance at workshops and support for sustainable development standards.

Local government officials are being targeted as a key audience.

500 MW Wind Farm Proposals for Bahamas

by Larry Smith

In 2003, a New Mexico company called WindErgy proposed a massive wind farm project for the Bahamas that obviously went nowhere.

The proposal was revived in 2006, again without success. It offered to build two 500 MW wind parks (on Abaco near Snake Cay and on Eleuthera near Hatchet Bay) with a potential net output for each of 176.3 MW - enough to generate 1.5 million megawatthours of electricity annually.

Bonaire to Rely on Renewable Energy

Contributed by Graham Seiner

The Water & Energy Company of Bonaire, a Caribbean island off the coast of Venezuela, has contracted with a Dutch-German consortium to operate a 23 MW wind-biodiesel power plant at a cost of about $55 million.

The island has a population of 12,000 and peak electricity demand is currently 12 MW, supplied by two light fuel diesel gensets. The goal is to get all the island's power from sustainable sources within the next five years.

Producing Oil From Algae

Contributed by Graham Seiner

In January, a California company called Solafrzyme unveiled the first ever algae-derived biofuel to have undergone road testing by successfully powering a factory-standard automobile for long distances under typical driving conditions.

The production process grows the algae in stainles steel vats, feeding the plants sugar which they convert to a biofuel that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and is nontoxic. Solazyme has signed a development and testing agreement with Chevron and late last year won a $2 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop a substitute for crude oil based on algae.

US Virgin Islands Seek Alternative Energy Supplies

Contributed by Doug Cotton

The US Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority is seeking bids from private providers to produce electricity that does not rely on oil-fired generators.

According to CEO Hugo Hodge, "the objective is to diversify our energy resources to allow the Territory to break away from its total dependence on imported fuel oil, provide diversity and shield WAPA’s customers from the huge swings in the fuel oil prices."

Eighteen providers pre-qualified for the bidding. They represent a range of alternative and renewable energy sources including geothermal, solar, biomass, ocean thermal energy conversion, waste-to-energy, coal, wind and hydro-kinetic or tidal waves.

WAPA wants to sign a 20-year power purchase agreement with one nor more providers at a price below what its projected costs are to produce electricity from oil-fired generators. Bidders are from the Virgin Islands, the Caribbean, the United States and Europe. The results will be announced at the end of June.

The bid process attracted worldwide attention, and more than 100 providers requested information. Over 30 attended a pre-bid conference on St. Thomas in February, while another 20 listened by telephone.

Using Food for Fuel is not a Good Idea

Contributed by Ginny Mckinney

EU and US demand for biofuels is pushing up world food prices and increasing climate emissions. And the World Food Program warned last week that rapidly rising costs are endangering emergency food supplies for the world's worst-off.

The richest countries are using more and more biofuels--alcohol made from plant products, used in place of gasoline to fuel cars. Biofuels are billed as a way to slow down climate change. But in reality, because so much land is being cleared to grow them, most biofuels today are causing more global warming emissions than they prevent. And they are pushing the price of corn, wheat, and other staples out of reach for millions of people.

Bahamas Can Take Advantage of Caribbean Renewable Energy Development Programme

by Larry Smith

The Caribbean Renewable Energy Development Programme is jointly financed by the  German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the UN's Global Environment Facility.

In its first phase from 2003 to 2007, the programme worked to remove barriers to the use of renewable energy in the region, focusing on the improvement of the political, legislative and technological framework.

As of April, the CREDP will enter its second phase for another four-year period. Energy efficiency measures will be added to the programme's portfolio while energy policy advice and the promotion of renewable energy investments will continue.

Recalling the Silver Volt Electric Vehicle

by Larry Smith

In a recent Bahama Pundit article I recalled the Silver Volt - an electric car project in the Bahamas from almost 30 years ago.

A Michigan company called Electric Auto set up a pilot assembly plant in Freeport to produce the Silver Volt on a modified GM chassis. It had a top speed of 70 mph, a range of up to 100 miles and could recharge its batteries in just 90 minutes.

Reports claimed that the cars would sell for $15,000. About 300 prototypes were to be built in Freeport for road-testing in Florida. But unfortunately, only 12 models were produced before the company pulled out. However, recently we received this email from Dr Barry Iseard, a vice president and director at Apollo Energy Systems.