Dear Editor,
With over 90 per cent of all energy used in Jamaica derived from imported oil, the country is left susceptible and vulnerable to the variation of world oil prices, which seem to be always going up.
We have been here before and we must learn from history. In the 1970s when oil prices basically quadrupled, Jamaica's oil import bill jumped by a massive 172 per cent between 1973 and 1974. Subsequent to that, successive governments have done little or nothing to address our thirst for the black gold.
Consequently, the Jamaican consumer, and indeed the Government, have been struggling under the ever-increasing and stifling cost of energy.
The cash-strapped Government currently doles out J$14 billion per year for its electricity bill and is only now trying to reduce that by implementing conservation methods. However, conservation, though necessary, cannot by itself solve the energy problem.
Renewable energy is the sexy phrase being tossed around as a solution. Indeed, the GOJ has stated that renewable energy should represent 20 per cent of the total energy mix [in Jamaica] by 2030 and has subsequently released an RFP for 115MW to be added to the grid by 2016.
Countries such as Iceland, Albania, Paraguay and Lesotho, to name a few, have renewables in their total energy mix exceeding 80 per cent. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that in 2008, 10 per cent of the world's energy consumption was from renewable energy sources. EIA forecasts that by 2035 consumption of renewable energy will be about 14 per cent of total world energy consumption. Simply put, renewable energy is a bona fide solution to Jamaica's
energy problem.
Jamaica is endowed with significant renewable energy resources, but the country has been slow in harnessing this potential to create a vibrant and productive renewable energy sector. The indicators on the extent of the
gap between our renewable
energy potential and implementation are noteworthy:
* Jamaica enjoys over 300 days of sunlight per year, but the use of solar power remains marginal.
* To date, Jamaica has only one major wind farm implementation (Wigton).
* Despite estimates that Jamaica has about 100MW of geothermal power, there has been very little interest in exploiting this source.
* Jamaicans produce waste at a first-world rate, yet despite interest by developers, there has yet to be a waste-to-energy programme.
* The island has 120 rivers, with several that are suitable for hydroelectricity power generation. However, to date, there are only eight hydroelectric plants in Jamaica, all owned by JPS.
We clearly have the resources with which to make the renewable energy sector as close to a panacea as possible for our energy crisis. We simply cannot continue in a scenario where the money we pay to import oil is more than what we earn from exports. So the real question is, do we have the will?
Andrew Dennis
Hibiscus Drive, Barbican
Kingston 8
@theDennergy
Renewable energy: Do we have the will?
-->
With over 90 per cent of all energy used in Jamaica derived from imported oil, the country is left susceptible and vulnerable to the variation of world oil prices, which seem to be always going up.
We have been here before and we must learn from history. In the 1970s when oil prices basically quadrupled, Jamaica's oil import bill jumped by a massive 172 per cent between 1973 and 1974. Subsequent to that, successive governments have done little or nothing to address our thirst for the black gold.
Consequently, the Jamaican consumer, and indeed the Government, have been struggling under the ever-increasing and stifling cost of energy.
The cash-strapped Government currently doles out J$14 billion per year for its electricity bill and is only now trying to reduce that by implementing conservation methods. However, conservation, though necessary, cannot by itself solve the energy problem.
Renewable energy is the sexy phrase being tossed around as a solution. Indeed, the GOJ has stated that renewable energy should represent 20 per cent of the total energy mix [in Jamaica] by 2030 and has subsequently released an RFP for 115MW to be added to the grid by 2016.
Countries such as Iceland, Albania, Paraguay and Lesotho, to name a few, have renewables in their total energy mix exceeding 80 per cent. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that in 2008, 10 per cent of the world's energy consumption was from renewable energy sources. EIA forecasts that by 2035 consumption of renewable energy will be about 14 per cent of total world energy consumption. Simply put, renewable energy is a bona fide solution to Jamaica's
energy problem.
Jamaica is endowed with significant renewable energy resources, but the country has been slow in harnessing this potential to create a vibrant and productive renewable energy sector. The indicators on the extent of the
gap between our renewable
energy potential and implementation are noteworthy:
* Jamaica enjoys over 300 days of sunlight per year, but the use of solar power remains marginal.
* To date, Jamaica has only one major wind farm implementation (Wigton).
* Despite estimates that Jamaica has about 100MW of geothermal power, there has been very little interest in exploiting this source.
* Jamaicans produce waste at a first-world rate, yet despite interest by developers, there has yet to be a waste-to-energy programme.
* The island has 120 rivers, with several that are suitable for hydroelectricity power generation. However, to date, there are only eight hydroelectric plants in Jamaica, all owned by JPS.
We clearly have the resources with which to make the renewable energy sector as close to a panacea as possible for our energy crisis. We simply cannot continue in a scenario where the money we pay to import oil is more than what we earn from exports. So the real question is, do we have the will?
Andrew Dennis
Hibiscus Drive, Barbican
Kingston 8
@theDennergy
Renewable energy: Do we have the will?
-->