Highlights from Fichtner Report on Sustainable Energy in The Bahamas

Energy Efficiency
•46 energy audits were conducted in hotels, homes and public buildings

•Potential energy saving of 53% for hotels, which is 10% of total power demand in 2009

•Potential energy saving of 57% for all Bahamian households, which consume 40% of all power

•If best global practices were applied that could rise to 83% in energy savings

•Potential energy savings in existing homes and hotels about 605 GWh, equivalent to 27% of present power demand

Renewable Energy
•Solar, wind, and biomass (pine) have a potential of more than 100 TWh per year - 47 times the present power demand of the Bahamas

•Photovoltaic energy is more economical at $100 per barrel oil price, but investment costs are expected to fall soon to achieve economic viability against BECs avoided cost as well as household tariff

•Wind resources are mediocre, but some sites studied have potential. Two sites on Grand Bahama could produce 88 MW and one off south shore of New Providence could generate 96 MW                              

•New Providence offshore wind farm site is almost economically viable, but requires further investigation. Should start with 20mw

•Studied 10 wave energy sites from Grand Bahama to Mayaguana                                                          

•Four sites wherewave energy was estimated at 10 kW per metre, with the others at around 8 kW/m  

•This means high initial costs and devices are not immediately available for deployment                                                                                                                                                  

•Few tidal energy sites in Bahamas with high flow velocities and current speed data does not exist                            

•Costs  for tidal energy are high and devices are not immediately available for deployment                                                    

•Ocean thermal  is possible west of New Providence (to produce 50 MW) and west of Grand Bahama, but no commercial plants yet anywhere in world                                                                                                         

•Biomass energy was investigated based on sugar cane and Caribbean pine                                                             

•Cane has highest biomass productivity and required the smallest plantation area, but had high water and fertilizer demand                                                                                                                   

•Biomass energy production should supply local demand where the resource exists                            

•Potential for 8 MW on Abaco and 47 MW on Grand Bahama produced from biomass - 12.5% of total power demand

Comments

[SOS]

What about burning garbage for fuel?

What about composting the millions of pounds of imported hotel/restaurant/junk food left overs into fertilizer to use on the sugar canes?

What about collecting used cooking oil to burn as fuel?

What about helping Bahamian home owners to acquire solar panels at an affordable price, and setting up 2 or 3 government and private companies to handle installation and maintenance so BEC doesn't have to find the land and money for solar farms?