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Tag: Energy

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News

ATL expands into alternative energy

April 17, 2013

APPLIANCE Traders Limited (ATL) has expanded into the alternative energy business.

ATL Energy Solutions will add solar water heaters, photovoltaic panels and other devices for revewable power to the appliance retailers energy-efficient product line.

Shani Duncan (right), business development manager of energy solutions at Appliance Traders Limited (ATL), shares some literature on energy efficiency with State Minister for Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Julian Robinson (left) at the Jamaica Alternative Energy Expo held at the Pegasus on Monday.

The division will also provide technical consultancy on assessing, designing and implementing scalable energy-saving solutions for businesses and homes.

“We want to demystify the alternative energy space for our customers making it easier for them to determine the best path to reducing their energy consumption,” said Paul Grey, ATL’s energy and engineering manager.

The introduction of the industrial giant’s new division comes after months of extensive research and analysis of global alternative energy providers to identify the best solutions for the Jamaican market according to the division head.

“Record energy prices in Jamaica as well as in the international marketplace have heightened the need for sustainable alternatives. Expanding into the energy business is a natural progression for ATL given our history of providing advanced engineering and industrial solutions for major projects in Jamaica and the Caribbean,” said Grey. “Our mandate with ATL Energy Solutions is to provide our customers with a comprehensive resource centre to assess, design, implement, and service energy-saving technology and equipment that will reduce consumption patterns and ultimately energy receipts.”

ATL already has solid footing in the alternative energy space executing a joint $8.6-million initiative with eco-innovation leaders Panasonic.

The project saw the construction of a prototype eco-villa at Sandals Montego Bay, the first of its kind in Jamaica.

The luxury suites are fully powered by Panasonic’s photovoltaic systems as well utilise all inverter appliances and electronics. Additionally, the company inked an exclusive arrangement with leading Israeli solar technology company Nimrod Industries Limited to distribute its solar water heaters as well as implemented its own Eco-Smart seal to earmark ‘green’ electronics in its product line-up.

“We are at a transformational period in the Jamaican energy sector that requires us to either heavily curb our existing consumption patterns or look to alternative sources of power,” said Grey. “Our strategic partnerships enable us to offer a gamut of solutions across a range of applications for both our commercial and residential customers. From LED light bulbs which can last over 50,000 hours to solar photovoltaic (PV) panels which can last up to 25 years or even inverter appliances which save up to 60 per cent on power bills, we have solutions for the energy-mindful consumer.”

ATL also provides detailed energy audits from which customers can readily evaluate their savings.

News

ATL expands into alternative energy

April 17, 2013

APPLIANCE Traders Limited (ATL) has expanded into the alternative energy business.

ATL Energy Solutions will add solar water heaters, photovoltaic panels and other devices for revewable power to the appliance retailers energy-efficient product line.

Shani Duncan (right), business development manager of energy solutions at Appliance Traders Limited (ATL), shares some literature on energy efficiency with State Minister for Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Julian Robinson (left) at the Jamaica Alternative Energy Expo held at the Pegasus on Monday.

The division will also provide technical consultancy on assessing, designing and implementing scalable energy-saving solutions for businesses and homes.

“We want to demystify the alternative energy space for our customers making it easier for them to determine the best path to reducing their energy consumption,” said Paul Grey, ATL’s energy and engineering manager.

The introduction of the industrial giant’s new division comes after months of extensive research and analysis of global alternative energy providers to identify the best solutions for the Jamaican market according to the division head.

“Record energy prices in Jamaica as well as in the international marketplace have heightened the need for sustainable alternatives. Expanding into the energy business is a natural progression for ATL given our history of providing advanced engineering and industrial solutions for major projects in Jamaica and the Caribbean,” said Grey. “Our mandate with ATL Energy Solutions is to provide our customers with a comprehensive resource centre to assess, design, implement, and service energy-saving technology and equipment that will reduce consumption patterns and ultimately energy receipts.”

ATL already has solid footing in the alternative energy space executing a joint $8.6-million initiative with eco-innovation leaders Panasonic.

The project saw the construction of a prototype eco-villa at Sandals Montego Bay, the first of its kind in Jamaica.

The luxury suites are fully powered by Panasonic’s photovoltaic systems as well utilise all inverter appliances and electronics. Additionally, the company inked an exclusive arrangement with leading Israeli solar technology company Nimrod Industries Limited to distribute its solar water heaters as well as implemented its own Eco-Smart seal to earmark ‘green’ electronics in its product line-up.

“We are at a transformational period in the Jamaican energy sector that requires us to either heavily curb our existing consumption patterns or look to alternative sources of power,” said Grey. “Our strategic partnerships enable us to offer a gamut of solutions across a range of applications for both our commercial and residential customers. From LED light bulbs which can last over 50,000 hours to solar photovoltaic (PV) panels which can last up to 25 years or even inverter appliances which save up to 60 per cent on power bills, we have solutions for the energy-mindful consumer.”

ATL also provides detailed energy audits from which customers can readily evaluate their savings.

News Solar Energy

Solar power boom

April 17, 2013

WITH electricity rates at an all time high in Jamaica, the domestic solar energy market appears to be gaining momentum.

“The last year has been fantastic, and the reason for that is that finally we are getting more and more of an environment where people see energy prices going up and don’t see anything changing very rapidly,” said Maikel Oerbekke, principal of Renewable Energy Developers (RED), a Montego Bay-based company that develops and implements solar energy projects primarily for commercial clients.

Icon Renewables proprietor Moses Chybar with a solar dusk to dawn flood light, which can run for up to 12 continuous hours, at the Jamaica Alternative Energy Expo hosted by the US Solar Institute at the Pegasus hotel.

RED, which specialises in solar photovoltaic (PV) technology from German total system company Schuco, and solar cooling and solar process heating plants from Austrian solar engineering firm SOLID, lists Jamaica Broilers Group and telecommunications giant Digicel among its customers.

Oerbekke, speaking with the Business Observer on Monday at the Jamaica Alternative Energy Expo hosted by the US Solar Institute at the Pegasus hotel, reasoned that locals now more than ever feel “strangled” by the electricity prices of monopoly provider Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), which recently applied to the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) for a 10 per cent increase on reconnection fees.

“People are saying ‘we have our backs against the wall and we need to do something now’,” he said, explaining the growing interest in solar energy as attendees crowded the expo to view and gather information on some of the latest systems.

RED has done more than US$3 million ($297 million) worth of projects in the last nine months, revealed Oerbekke. Its biggest project to date has been the solar PV and solar cooling system it did for Digicel at the telecoms’ new downtown Kingston headquarters, he said.

In anticipation of growing clientele, RED is awaiting approval from the St James Parish Council to construct a 3,000-square-foot showroom and administrative building in Montego Bay that can stock around 1,500 panels.

“So, we will be even more faster and flexible,” said Oerbekke, noting that “A third of the building will be a showroom and the building will be completely powered by solar.”

Indeed, the Jamaican solar market has evolved dramatically over the last decade, said Damian Lyn, the managing director at Alternative Power Sources, one of the pioneers in the industry.

“When we started 10 years ago, we were told the company would not survive; it had just cost too much to install a system,” said Lyn. “But we stuck with it and it has gone strength by strength overtime.”

Lyn, a former president of the Jamaica Solar Energy Association, said a huge drop in solar panel prices over the years has been a major catalyst behind the industry’s boom.

“When we started in business, we were selling at US$7.50 a watt, now we are below US$1.50 a watt,” said Lyn.

Furthermore, Lyn said Jamaicans are way more educated now about solar than they were in the early 2000s.

“They understand the difference between solar water heaters and PV systems etc, and the savings that they can have,” he said.

Jamaica has an abundance of sunshine, an average of 3,000 hours a year in Kingston, although that falls by a quarter in more mountainous parts of the island, which tend to have heavier cloud cover.

Photovoltaic power generation uses solar panels composed of a number of solar cells containing a photovoltaic material. Photovoltaic cells convert sunlight into electrical energy, which is subsequently stored in a bank of batteries.

Rooftop panels, which could last for 25 to 30 years, will now pay for themselves in as low as four years, said Lyn, noting that the pay back for a battery-based system is six to eight years, and four to five years for one that is grid tied. Until recently, the pay-back period was up to 20 years.

Some say that changes to the regulatory framework has also had a positive impact on the uptake of solar power, with solar electric customers now able to offset their costs by selling back to the JPS, following the implementation of net billing last year. Net billing customers are paid the avoided cost of generation for the electricity JPS purchases, as well as up to a 15 per cent premium on that price.

Meanwhile, several organisations and businesses have switched to solar power, including Sandals Resorts International, which announced in November 2011 that it had teamed up with Panasonic to launch the region’s first ecovillage hotels. The company hopes to turn a profit on its investment in seven to eight years, said its CEO, Adam Stewart.

What’s more, GraceKennedy subsidiary Dairy Industries is reportedly going with a 60-kilowatt solar system shortly and Lyn himself is currently installing a 100 kw system for the American International School of Kingston.

Still, the Alternative Power Sources boss said he hopes to see more corporate entities getting involved in solar energy.

“A lot are still sceptical. I think, on the corporate end, they still don’t fully understand the paybacks, while the residential person who feels it more, knows it,” he said.

Against that background, Lyn feels the residential market

News

Wigton to add 62% more wind power

April 17, 2013

Wigton Windfarm Limited’s (WWFL) plans to start expansion this year.

WWFL projects that it will generate additional energy of 63 gigawatt-hours (GWh) per year from an extra capacity of 24 megawatts (MW) by 2015.

Wigton Phase III is slated to start this year

That would increase its existing capacity of 38.7 MW by 62 per cent.

Last year, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica said studies indicate that energy from Wigton III can be translated into 72,141 barrels of oil being avoided (saved) annually, as well as 102,248 tonnes of carbon dioxide not being emmitted .

Under the new phase, WWFL intends to focus on developing potential sites at Great Valley by itself or by a third party.

Exploratory work on Wigton IV was also slated to be pursued and will focus on potential sites North or Wigton, according to last year’s estimates.

Electricity produced from wind energy is sold to the Jamaica Public Service under a power-purchase-agreement and is projected to generate revenues of $1.1 billion this fiscal year, or $7 miilion less than the last year.

WWFL also plans to add an additional revenue stream in the form of training to stakeholders. According to the estimates, “this arose from the need to develop more expert engineers locally in light of expansion of the renewable energy industry and the desire to create jobs.”

“The company aims to continue to observe efficiency in its operations and maintain a relatively steady profit margin,” said the estimates of revenue and expenses for 2013/2014. “As such as surplus of $163 million is being projected this year.”

The windfarm is mandated to provide and facilitate increased wind power and other renewable energy usage to generate electricity thereby diversifying Jamaica’s energy mix.

Though the renewable energy target for 2015 is 12.5 per cent, in accordance with the National Energy Policy as part of Vision 2030, WWFL said the government’s energy output will increase to 9.36 per cent during the year that ends next year March, up from seven per cent, according to the estimates of revenue and expenditure for the year ending March 2014.

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Electricity JPS News

Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

April 16, 2013

As customers contend with the increasing cost of energy bill, they may often ask what their alternatives are.

But before you even consider costly renewable energy systems, you should first adopt a conservation approach.

The average Jamaican household (that spends on average $12,000 per month on electricity bill) can spend $2 million on alternative energy.

Coming off the grid isn’t merely about divorcing the company that supplies your power and charges you on a monthly basis. It’s more than that; it’s about cheaper means of supplying and using power.

“If you are not one to maximise the energy saving opportunities, producing power on your own, and getting off the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) grid won’t save you money,” said Nathan Parkins, design technician at Alternative Power Sources.

Renewable energy systems are designed to match your current consumption, that is the more you consume, the bigger and more costly your system will have to be.

“If you don’t conserve, you could very well end up spending $5 million on a system when you could have had one for $3 million,” he said.

Some energy savings opportunities are free.

Turning off lights that aren’t in use may sound like the usual energy savings lecture, but if you aren’t flicking the switch, you are increasing wastage.

Lights on during the daylight hours, are obviously wasteful.

Then there are some suggestions that would require you to spend a little extra cash.

Equipment that trap heat and in turn pass it on to you, without electricity, are an option.

Opt for solar water heater over electric water heater, Parkins advised.

“We pay so much to use the electricity to get hot water, yet we have the sun,” he said. “I can safely say solar water heater can shave 15 per cent off your light bill.”

Checks by the Sunday Finance found that the National Housing Trust (NHT) offers loans to for solar water heaters to existing mortgagers with a maximum funding of $250,000.

But, if you have already got a loan from the NHT, you would have to wait 10 years before you can access the maximum $1.5 million funding for solar panels.

Nonetheless, there are some less pricey options, which are common to most households.

People with up-to-date energy style appliances will use less power than those without.

So, if you are not too sentimental, you could think about doing away with your 30 year old refrigerator and cash in on a newer model.

Gas stoves get the energy savings nod of approval rather than an electric stove.

Overtime, old appliances lose efficiency and consume more power.

You could even place a timer on your refrigerator that shuts it off after a number of hours.

The average fridge runs 11 hours per day.

In addition, you should repair loose magnetic rubbers of the refrigerator door, it allows the cool air to leave, using up more power.

Don’t keep your fridge too close to the wall, the heat coil at the back needs enough room for sufficient circulation.

As for lighting, there’s LED. Though this is more expensive to buy than fluorescent bulbs, switching could reduce your power usage by 50 per cent.

But, Parkins said this is most necessary for businesses that need the use of light for longer periods.

Do you think the time has come to getting power on your own? Well, Parkins crunched the numbers for the Sunday Finance.

According to him, a household user who spends on average of $4,500 per month wouldn’t spend roughly half a million dollars on alternative energy.

As for the average Jamaican household that he said spends on average $12,000 per month, they can get an alternative system for $2 million.

What’s more, you don’t have to completely abandon the JPS, you could opt to make a particular room solar.

Read more:

News

Condemning Solar-Battery Theft

April 12, 2013

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I would like to condemn the recent theft of the 53 batteries from the solar-lighting system along the Highway 2000 corridor.

The solar-powered lights are the latest state-of-the-art upgrade that was introduced to help reduce Jamaica’s cost of generating electricity. The wholesale theft of these solar batteries is a handicap to modernisation in Jamaica.

I propose that going forward:

1. The Government should explore purchasing units that don’t stick out as solar-powered lights.

2. They should not publicise the installation of additional units.

3. If possible, they should embed tracking devices within these units to trace them if they are stolen.

4. Provide effective police patrol in areas where these lights are installed.

5. In addition, the courts should throw the book at anyone caught and convicted of stealing these batteries to send a strong message that this will not be tolerated.

We can deter future theft of these energy-saving units, which Jamaica desperately needs to help wean ourselves off of petroleum addiction.

PATRICK CALLUM

patrickcallum@yahoo.com

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Electricity Government JPS

Work to Begin on 360-Megawatt Capacity Plant This Year

April 8, 2013

 

altGovernor General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen inspects the guard of honour before delivering the 2013/14 Throne Speech during the State Opening of Parliament held on Thursday, April 4, at Gordon House.

Governor General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, says the much anticipated construction of a 360-megawatt electricity capacity plant will commence this calendar year.

 

The Governor General, who was delivering the Throne Speech to mark the opening of the 2013/14 Parliamentary Year at Gordon House on Thursday morning, April 4, said the new facility will replace

JPS News

JPS to

March 22, 2013

JAMAICA Public Service Company (JPS) will next month begin to roll out retail stores that will sell energy-saving products.

The light and power company says the initiative will kick-start a more ’empowering’ engagement with its customers going forward.

Nicolette Hind shows off some of the eStore products during a promotion.

 

“It’s actually the first time we are venturing into anything like this. We always supported and encouraged; what we are doing now is investing in empowerment, so we are going further,” Winsome Callum, JPS’s head of corporate communications, told Caribbean Business Report during an exclusive interview at the firm’s Ruthven Road, Kingston, outlet on Wednesday.

The new retail stores, branded “eStore”, will be located inside existing JPS customer service offices, with the first store scheduled to be opened on April 4 at the Ruthven Road outlet.

JPS will initially offer up to 40 different energy-savings products, including a variety of power efficient gadgets, timers and sensors, said the company’s director of sales and marketing, Garth McKenzie.

“Our products will fall into three major categories: equipment that will save energy, equipment that will protect your investment and equipment that will help you to understand your usages,” said McKenzie, noting that the company is targeting both the residential and corporate markets.

JPS has partnered with a number of overseas and local suppliers, including Nicorp Limited and its brand of surge protectors.

While items will be on sale, the stores will primarily focus on teaching consumers about energy consumption and how to save, McKenzie said.

“We will be consumed with looking for those things that can help people to change their habits and improve their energy efficiency. Energy efficiency has to be more than just wishing it; it needs some education, tools and gadgets,” said the sales and marketing executive.

JPS, which has 15 offices islandwide, will officially launch up to four ‘eStores’ before the end of the year, but will be offering the new services at all the locations. The company did not disclose how much money was being invested in the venture.

“We will be dressing up about two or three more locations (after Ruthven Road) by the end of the year. For the other dozen or so that won’t be dressed up, we will be branding the space to let people know that there is an eStore operation there,” McKenzie said.

JPS, for years, has had an uneasy relationship with the Jamaican public, who have become increasingly frustrated with high electricity bills and accuse the company of being rapacious. The relationship hit a low point two years ago when a wide cross-section of Jamaicans, including a government senator and an Opposition member of parliament at the time, joined a social network campaign and wore black in protest against exorbitant electricity bills from the energy provider.

McKenzie said the ‘eStore’ initiative is aimed at improving the company’s relationship with customers.

“We recognise that the value that JPS is giving is not matching up with the cost and this is an attempt to improve that value proposition,” McKenzie said.

“What people are unhappy with is the apparent lack of control that they have over their electricity bills,” he continued. “We are a business so we expect to earn money, but more importantly we need to have customers that are more empowered so that they are less disgruntled.”

JPS announced earlier this week that customers will see a 10 per cent hike in their electricity bills this month, largely due to higher fuel costs and the depreciation of the Jamaica dollar.

Against this background, Callum noted that different macroeconomic factors have made it now even more critical for Jamaicans to focus on energy savings. JPS wants to help consumers realise this goal, she said.

“People say they have tried conservation and they don’t see the results, so we want to help them to actually see results,” Callum noted.

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