Kilowatt hour Archives - Page 2 of 7

Jamaica can triple wind energy output

August 23, 2013 jrobinson

Students from Ascot Primary in St Catherine take in a wind turbine during a tour of the Wigton Windfarm in Manchester.

JAMAICA can triple its electricity generated from wind if it uses up its full potential.

A recent wind resource assessment identified four locations suitable for energy development with a combined potential generating capacity of 212 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually (just over five per cent of total consumption).

The study, which assessed 24 prospective sites across the island, revealed that Rose Hill and Top Lincoln in Manchester, Winchester at the foot of the John Crow Mountains in St Thomas, and Kemps Hill in Clarendon could each yield more than 5.3 million kWh a year.

The Winchester site in St Thomas was described as “by far the best wind site surveyed so far”, according to a Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) press statement released yesterday.

PCJ-owned Wigton Windfarm has already picked the Rose Hill site to place a 24 megawatt (MW) wind farm facility, for which it made a submission to the Office of Utilities Regulation’s (OUR) in response to a Request for Proposals for 115 MW of electricity generation capacity from renewable energy sources.

Wigton, which currently produces 97 million kWh from its 38.7 MW of installed capacity, projected that it could generate 63 million kWh from the new site by 2015.

And if the other three sites are developed, total wind energy production in Jamaica could surpass 320 million kWh, after taking Jamaica Public Service Company’s (JPS’s) Munro Wind Farm output into account.

What’s more, when the four addtional sites are exploited, Jamaica stands to reduce national oil consumption by at least 124,000 barrels a year, which cost above $1.2 billion annually.

The wind resource assessment was carried out as part of a wind and solar development programme, which is being implemented by Wigton under a funding agreement between the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the PCJ.

“The programme aims to increase Jamaica’s utilisation of renewables by developing photovoltaic and wind power plants to supply the national grid,” said the PCJ release.

The study was based on data collected between November 2011 and January 2012.

“With our current focus on utilising our natural resources to address our energy challenges, both the government and the private sector need credible information to make development and investment decisions about viable energy solutions,” said Earl Barrett, Wigton Windfarm’s general manager.

“The national wind resource assessment will be a great resource to the majority of interests in Jamaica’s energy Sector, but we hope it will be particularly useful for potential investors.”

Jamaica Observer;

Alternative Energy Electricity JPS News Pumps Solar Energy

RECYCLING waste electricity

July 24, 2013 jrobinson

The demo kit containing an A/C motor, two kilowatt meters and the green box.

THE need for lower electricity bills and a cheaper alternative to solar.

Those, primarily, were what led Mark Neita and business partner Dr Matthew Bird to the green box technology and to found Green Box Jamaica.

Alternative Energy Electricity News

Brimming with renewables IDB says region has enough alternative energy to fulfil 2050 electricity needs

June 20, 2013 Webmaster

LATIN America and the Caribbean’s renewable energy endowment is large enough to cover its projected 2050 electricity needs 22 times over, according to a new report commissioned by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The report, Rethinking our Energy Future, argues that lower prices and new technologies are making renewables a viable alternative. Solar, geothermal, wave, wind and biomass sources in this region could produce up to 80 petawatt-hour of electricity.

A solar panel is seen in this photo. Lower prices and new technologies are making solar, wind and other resources competitive with fossil fuels for power generation, according to the Inter-American Development Bank.

One petawatt-hour is equivalent to one trillion kilowatt-hour, roughly three times the amount of electricity Mexico consumes in one year. At present, Latin America generates 1.3 petawatt hour. By 2050, demand is expected to grow to between 2.5 to 3.5 petawatt- hour.

The report addresses a series of myths surrounding renewable energies, noting that several of these alternative technologies have become price competitive with conventional technologies, offer good investment opportunities and should be taken into consideration by policymakers aiming to diversify their national energy matrixes, reduce fuel supply vulnerabilities and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

“Though Latin America uses more renewable energy than any other region in the world, it faces difficult choices as it seeks to generate the electricity it needs to grow without harming the environment,” said IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno. “Renewables are becoming a viable and attractive option that needs to be explored.”

The report was presented yesterday in Bogot

Electricity JPS News

Don’t let the summer heat tempt you… Light bills are already high

May 28, 2013 jrobinson

SUMMER is upon us and the desire to run the fan longer or even turn on the air-conditioning unit will rise.

But remember, so too will your light bill.

If the satisfaction of reducing how much you pay JPS for electricity used is not enough incentive for you to conserve, think about the thousands of dollars that could go to your bank account each year.

Residential consumers of electricity pay Jamaica Public Service (JPS) an average of $31 and $40 for each kilowatt-hour (kWh), depending on how much is used in any given month.

The price paid for electricity is higher for those with greater appetites for energy. That’s because the energy rate for each kWh above the first 100 kWh is 2.3 times the rate for the first 100 kWh

Electricity Government JPS News

EDITORIAL – It’s More Than Electricity Theft

May 13, 2013 Webmaster

Kelly Tomblin, CEO of the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) Company, may have been bit a melodramatic. For thieving electricity consumers, as draining as they are on the company, and as difficult as they make her life, mask the larger problem faced by the light and power provider – and Jamaica.

For electricity theft in Jamaica is symptomatic of more fundamental issues, among which are the Government’s failure to advance and implement a clear energy policy; its ‘outsourcing’ of elements of its social welfare programmes; and the JPS’s own failure, over a long time, to adequately invest in the technologies to allow it to operate as efficiently as possible in a market it says it wants to be in. Which, of course, doesn’t derogate from the facts presented, or the logic of the argument advanced by Ms Tomblin last Friday.

JPS’s inability to adhere to agreed debt-to-earnings ratios potentially imperils its relationship with its lenders and could, as their auditors pointed out in their review of its 2012 accounts, present a risk to the company “as a going concern”.

Reducing the 14 per cent of electricity that is stolen would be an inherently good thing. It would enhance the viability of the power company, as well as ease the burden on those consumers who now pay.

But there is another pertinent matter which the Government and the JPS must address squarely. The estimated US$30 million, or nearly J$3 billion, lost to the thieves is a sum inflated by policy failures and inefficiencies. Faced with this fact, a serious government would end the dithering over what fuel is to be used to generate electricity, as well as conclude the becalmed bids for new power plants. Nothing, though, gives us confidence that this will be the case.

Cheaper fuel is essential

The fact, however, is that the electricity produced from expensive oil at US 41 cents per kWh is unviable for Jamaican firms and domestic consumers. Cheaper fuels and modern power plants are essential. Procrastination by the Government in giving policy directives on the former, and JPS’s failure to act on the latter when that was in its purview, helped to create today’s crisis.

Further, Jamaica’s perennially weak economy, with its high rates of joblessness and underemployment, means that electricity, at its real cost, is beyond the effective demand of many consumers, who nonetheless have expectations of it. So, they steal it and have, in the process, been enabled by the Government, as was all but admitted by Roger Clarke, the agriculture minister, in relation to whole communities on sugar estates that were allowed to tap into government entities for their electricity.

This is, at once, reflective of a kind of blind-eye social welfare and a breakdown of law and order. Theft becomes normal. Attempts to break the cycle often erupt in violence.

It is obvious that Jamaica must get on with the policies and projects that will lower electricity tariffs. The Government, too, must have the will to address the thievery.

It is also in the JPS’s interest to invest in the smart technologies that make the stealing of the product difficult.

These are the kinds of things that firms sometimes have to do to survive in a market. And sometimes are made to do as monopolies in regulated markets.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.

JPS News

Why employees in Ja’s largest corporations keep the nation’s energy bill high

May 10, 2013 jrobinson

There is so much talk and slow action about implementing alternative energy sources these days. Without a doubt, Jamaica will benefit from any decrease in cost for energy, but has anybody stopped to think of what will happen if we do not formulate firm strategies to manage consumption in all spheres of our daily life?

assess

As it exists now, our main supplier of electricity is unable to generate the amount of power to meet its demands, and whether our dreams of rates US 14 cents per kwh becomes a reality or not, we must think outside of the box in an effort to control consumption.

Office equipment, especially computers, are often left on after use in the office. (PHOTO: AP)

For the most part, energy saving activities are centred around the use of household appliances, lighting, and air condition units, which consume the most electricity. However, there is not as much enthusiasm expressed in the public domain as to how companies should effectively manage their power consumption.

It is believed that by now, organisations would have been proactive with fully developed programmes in engaging their team members in the importance of keeping their operational costs down by carefully managing the use of electricity.

However, as these organisations become more dependent on information technology to drive efficiencies in their operations, there is usually a correlative increase in power consumption. In many cases, this increase could actually be greatly curtailed, but on the other hand, IT mangers who orchestrate equipment usage are never usually concerned with cost containment.

Desktop and laptop computers usually account for the majority of technology equipment used in most companies, and this is where the haemorrhaging of electricity takes place, simply because these units are left on for long periods when not in use.

Individuals in most organisations cannot be relied upon to shut off their computers when not in use for long periods, particularly at the end of the day and Friday evenings.

The continuous waste of power inhibits the Jamaica Public Service Company to meet its demands for power in areas of the island which have never been privileged to have this modern convenience many of us take for granted.

Organisations that operate more than 50 or more computers are at serious risk of inflated JPS bills because of this type of oblivious behaviour. The associated costs of operation really add up when tabulated on a per annum basis.

Let us do some simple mathematics:

If your PC is on for left idle for 16 hours each week day after the usual eight hour work day and on weekends for a full 48 hours :

The total wasted hours per week is (16 x5) weekday + 48 weekend= 128 hours

Per Year this adds up to 128 x 52 (weeks) = 6656 hours

Each computer uses 128W = (6656 x 128)/1000 = 822kwh

Cost for Electricity Per KW/h in Jamaica is US$0.44

Total Cost for wasted electricity per computer per year is 882 X $0.44 = US$375

The kilowatt hours used in the computation does not include hours that computers may be idle during the work day.

This figure may not seem like a whole lot but consider those large corporations in Jamaica that have 500 to 1000 + employees. If 200 computers were to be left running for those hours per annum then that corporation will be looking at a whopping J$7,425,000 ($US375 x 200 x ROE J$99 = US$1) in payments to JPS.

These are not just costs that are impacting the private sector. This dilemma is every taxpayer across the nation’s problem. Our government employs more people than any private sector organisation and the waste in electricity throughout the various ministries is staggering.

The government owns approximately 80,000 computers. If just 20,000 are to be left on for 128 hours then the cost to taxpayers is over J$742.5 million. The current public sector bill for electricity is over J$1.2 billion per month which will grow as the government strives to modernise its operations.

Many companies have introduced energy conservation awareness programmes which are created to help their employees to better understand the impact of their action on the companies’ bottom line; however the benefits are usually short lived. The senior management in these large organisations must look at other ways they can manage these processes with a view to ensuring a more favourable outcome.

The implementation of software applications which do not require human intervention, which will shut down these computers when not in use is in fact available and organisations at risk should look at the available options coupled with its awareness programmes.

While cheaper sources of energy are still a far ways off, the issue of power generation by the JPS will always be a problem that will never go away if conservation is not tackled in a very serious way.

Dean Johnson is a specialist in information technology, sales and marketing. You can email him at energybugja@gmail.com.

News

Wigton to add 62% more wind power

April 17, 2013 Webmaster

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.

Electricity JPS News

JPS promises lower April bills

April 12, 2013 Webmaster

THE Jamaica Public Service (JPS) says its customers will see a five per cent decrease in their electricity bill this month, despite the continued devaluation of the Jamaican currency.

This decrease, the light and power company said last night, is due to a reduction in the cost of the fuel used to generate electricity.

“Each month, the fuel charge on electricity bills changes, depending on the cost of the oil that JPS and other power-generating companies buy to produce electricity,” JPS said.

“The fuel & IPP cost on bills for April is $24.35 per kWh, compared to the charge of $26.54 per kWh applied to March bills.

“This means that a residential customer who consistently uses 200 kWh will be paying about $400 less for his/her bill this month, compared to what he paid last month. This customer will pay $7,518 for the 200 kWh of electricity used, as against the $7,918.55 that was paid in March for the same usage,” the company said.

The JPS, however, urged customers to continue their conservation efforts as the final bill amount will depend on total electricity used.

JPS News

5% reduction on April electricity bills JPS says

April 12, 2013 Webmaster

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Despite the continued devaluation of the Jamaican dollar, Jamaica Public Service (JPS) customers will see an average of five per cent reduction in their electricity bills for April, the power company says.

The decrease, JPS says, is due to a reduction in the cost of the fuel used to generate electricity.

JPS explained that each month the fuel charge on electricity bills changes, depending on the cost of the oil used to produce electricity. The Fuel & IPP Cost on bills for April is $24.35 per kWh, compared to the charge of $26.54 per kWh applied to March bills.

This means that residential customers who consistently use 200 kWh will be paying about $400 less for his bill this month, compared to what was paid last month, JPS said in a release Friday.

This customer will pay $7,518 for the 200 kWh of electricity used, as against the $7,918.55 that was paid in March for the same usage.

JPS News

5% reduction on April electricity bills JPS says

April 12, 2013 jrobinson

The decrease, JPS says, is due to a reduction in the cost of the fuel used to generate electricity.

This means that residential customers who consistently use 200 kWh will be paying about $400 less for his bill this month, compared to what was paid last month, JPS said in a release Friday.

This customer will pay $7,518 for the 200 kWh of electricity used, as against the $7,918.55 that was paid in March for the same usage.

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