THE Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) has undertaken a $5.6-million upgrade of the lighting facilities at the May Pen and Spanish Town hospitals and the Jamaica Police Convalescent Centre, in its bid to help reduce the public sector‘s energy bill.
The three institutions are the latest to benefit from a PCJ programme that facilitates the increased use of energy-efficiency technology by public sector entities.
CARIBBEAN Community (Caricom) energy ministers have approved an initial target of 47 per cent renewable energy contribution to total electricity generation in the region by 2027.
The ministers approved the target last week in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, at the special meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on Energy. They also set 20 per cent and 28 per cent renewable energy targets for 2017 and 2022 respectively, breaking new ground in the push towards alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and bio-energy, according to the Caricom Secretariat.
|
|
Jamaica is highly dependent on imported petroleum to meet energy needs, with a little more than 90 per cent derived from imported oil and the rest from renewable sources. The country, through its national energy policy, has set a target of 20 per cent renewable energy by 2030, but Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell has repeatedly expressed a desire to move the goal to 30 per cent by 2030.
Paulwell, who was travelling to Venezuela to attend the funeral of Venezuelan President Hugo Ch
Readers of these columns are well aware that we have always been critical of the undemocratic actions of late Venezuelan President
Mr. Paulwell said… October 16, 2005 – to date, no net metering August 19, 2011 – to date, no wheeling February 12, 2012 – to date, no reduction, no plans, no announcements May 01, 2012 Venezuela’s oil production is poised to reverse a dramatic decline that has seen exports fall by nearly half during
The savings would amount to approximately J$2 billion per year. “We as a Government spend $1.2 billion per month on electricity … up from $500 million a month in 2008,” said Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell at the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce energy forum Tuesday. “It is a critical component of the IMF agreement to reduce our electricity bill and we will have to do so by specific amounts.” In furtherance of this condi-tionality, the energy ministry has assembled a team led by project manager Richard Gordon to implement a programme rooted in National Energy Conversation and Efficiency Policy 2030. The policy, developed since 2006, aims to reduce Jamaica’s dependence on fossil fuels via conservation, implementation of diverse fuels and green energy into the mix. 15 per cent target Paulwell declined to reveal the level of reduction required as a conditionality of the IMF. However, Gordon, an engineer by profession, told the forum that “we would like to see a 15 per cent reduction”. A sizeable chunk of the Government’s energy bill relates to the National Water Commission, which requires energy to run its pumps at some J$6 billion annually. Street lights cost the Government some J$3 billion annually. The energy-conservation project focusses on government offices and street lights. It involves more than simply replacing incandescent lights with efficient LED lights. Other measures include coating roofs with heat-reflective paint to reduce heat by 40 per cent; in conjunction with improving interior insulation aimed at reducing air conditioning by some 20 per cent. “We will also be relaxing the dress code at ministries where you might not have to wear one of these,” Paulwell said, pointing to his tie. “Guayaberas and bush jackets for men would be appropriate. I would not feel dissed if you dress like we are in a tropical climate.” Gordon said the energy policy estimated that US$100 million of spending on conversation projects throughout Government would have provided a return on investment in 2.5 years. It was not immediately clear the actual budget for implementation of the project. “Energy efficiency is a growth area in the economy. If you have US$0.30-US$0.40 per kilowatt-hour for electricity, it provides you an opportunity to make a bankable proposition to your financiers to reduce energy. And through the saving you can easily pay off that loan,” Gordon said. steven.jackson@gleanerjm.com Read more: THE electicity grid is so vulnerable to system shutdowns that its deficiencies and weaknesses could be viewed, in some instances, as an ‘accident waiting to happen’. The factors leading to the last islandwide blackout, not related to a natural disaster, was found to be “typical of those which precipitated the three earlier system shutdowns, including the first major incident in 2006”, by the Office of the Utilities Regulations (OUR) investigation committee into electricity grid shutdown last August.
“While the initiating circumstances are different in each case, the underlying sequence of system collapse from generators and transmission circuits tripping follow a familiar and parallel path,” said the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) Power System Integrity Investigation report, which was completed three weeks ago. “Human error and maintenance shortcomings have played a part, as well as manifested deficiencies in the islandwide grid and generation infrastructure.” Last August, lightning strikes at a pole located on the Duhaney to Naggo Head 69kilovolt (kV) transmission line, as Tropical Storm Ernesto passed nearby the island, led to a shutdown. But it was the lack of a protection relay, which apparently malfunctioned or was removed from the system the April before, which was “primarily blamed for precipitating the subsequent island-wide system collapse. Similarly, in 2006, the failure of distance relays to operate at Duncans substation following a lightning strike to the Duncans to Bogue 138kV transmission line caused a system-wide shutdown. In 2008, a fault on the Duhaney to Tredegar 38kV transmission line wasn’t cleared, after a pole fell to the ground. The 2006 system shutdown was reviewed by Gowlings Consulting Incorporated and Rusnov Associates Limited, whose recommendations were complied with, in the main. But the OUR technical staff believes that the most recent episode showed that where a “crucial protection relay was not repaired or replaced for some four months at Duhaney substation, that the intent of this system is not being achieved”. Either way, the Duhaney substation is considered to be a “major weak link in the transmission grid integrity” because it serves as the only link between generators in the Corporate Area with the generating plants in Old Harbour and Bogue, St James. “Any failure on either the 138kV, or in particular the 69kV, is likely to precipitate an islandwide System shutdown,” said the report. The technical team found that the protective relaying system for the Duhaney substation was urgently in need of a complete review. Also, “the 10 substations reported as not having SCADA visibility need to be put on the system as soon as possible”. The SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) system allows control engineers to remotely monitor and control the power system, and JPS has 53 substations in all. “The current philosophy for grid restoration, based on JPS documented policy and operating instructions currently in place, appears satisfactory to adequately address system restoration procedures following a partial or complete shutdown of the system,” wrote the review committee. However, the system restoration policy appears not to include a provision for a full analysis of the shutdown to be undertaken by technically competent personnel prior to grid restoration activities, in specific instances when the reason for the System shutdown is in doubt. It is recommended that the policy be revised to include analysis by technical personnel. The committee did find the general system protection philosophy, which governs the basis of JPS’s installation of protective relays at generating stations and also at substations for busbars, transformers and transmission line protection, to be “generally adequate and meets international standards for reliable utility operation”. “Nevertheless, it is recognised that the human factor plays an important role in the effectiveness of maintenance, together with the dedication to detail and a process of rigid management follow-up on defects is an issue of considerable concern,” said the report. “Indeed, recent system shutdowns have highlighted this problem and JPS needs to urgently remedy the human factor in order to prevent a repeat occurrence.” In light of the frequency of total system shutdown events in the Jamaican power system (four in since 2006), the committee also recommends that the OUR considers the establishment of an on-going Grid Reliability Committee (GRC) as an added means of addressing issues impacting the reliability and security of the power system. The group would meet regularly to identify items which currently threaten or could threaten grid integrity and ensure expediting of agreed remedies. Read more: Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Phillip Paulwell (left), speaks with President of the Pig farmers urged to get more out of animals Christopher Serju, Gleaner Writer LOCAL PIG farmers have been challenged to get more out of their animals – literally; and in the process, increase the financial returns on their investments in an environmentally friendly way. That challenge came from Professor Jens Born, a consultant in biogas and renewable energy forms, during a recent workshop hosted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Jamaica. “They need to stop wasting the (animal) waste and harness it to not only recover some of their money, but also generate income from it (waste),” he told An energy efficiency project aimed at cutting energy costs in smaller hotels is to be implemented in Jamaica by the end of the year. The project, which is called the Caribbean Hotel Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Action Programme, has been successfully tested in Barbados and will be extended to The Bahamas and other countries in the region. In endorsing the energy saving initiative, Jamaica
says he hopes to introduce net metering in Jamaica by the end of next month
“I’ve instructed the OUR (Office of Utilities Regulation) to finalise a
policy framework for net metering,” Sunday Observer.
Amended and Restated All-Island Electric License 2011
Electricity Power Wheeling
Net Billing
October 19, 2012 Paulwell Blames JPS For Power-Wheeling Delay
has announced plans to set up a bipartisan energy council tasked with
achieving up to 62 per cent reduction in energy costs paid by households and
businesses – in 3 years
Net Billing
pilot programme limited to 2 years commencing no later than May 01, 2012 and
capped at an aggregate capacity of 2% of JPS
The Petrojam oil refinery in Kingston. Venezuela supplies oil to Jamaica under the PetroCaribe agreement. – File
I would not feel dissed if you dress like we are in a tropical climate. – Paulwell
The Government aims to slash its J$13-billion annual light bill by some 15 per cent across the public sector in part as a precondition of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan agreement.
Professor Jens Born, a consultant on biogas energy, makes a case for local farmers to invest in biodigesters and other appropriate forms of clean, environmentally friendly energy during a workshop hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Technology. – Photo BY Christopher Serju
Energy Minister, Phillip Paulwell
