Renewable energy use makes no sense if wastage is not addressed – Consultant

While it is important for countries to move towards green and sustainable energy, it is even more important to become efficient while using the sources of energy currently in use.

This is the conclusion of an executive in the green energy sector who was recently in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).

“If we go straight to renewable, basically we go from an energy that is creating emissions to one that is not creating emissions, which is great, but what it would also do is that it would continue to support your wastage…,” said Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Barbados based Atom Solutions Inc, Dr. Erwin Edwards.

He explained that if a person or business is using 1000 kilowatts of energy now, and changes to renewable energy, they will still be using the same 1000 kilowatts.

“…same amount,…so if in fact 200 of that is being wasted, what you would have done is that you would have invested in renewable to cover the 1000 instead of covering 800. So, if you do your energy efficiency first, you cut out your wastage, you change out your old equipment that you have been using more energy than you should, you might cut down your consumption by 40 percent…,” Edwards explained.

Edwards, who has worked in the energy sector for over 20 years, was in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) last week where he facilitated a three-day workshop- November 26 to 28, organised by Invest SVG and Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA).

The workshop which took place at the National Insurance Services (NIS) conference room on Upper Bay Street, involved owners of local Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and was held under the theme, “Enhancing MSME Competitiveness with Green Business Strategies”.

Edwards later told SEARCHLIGHT that if MSMEs are able to manage energy efficiently, and then transition to green energy, they can cut their energy consumption to close to 50 percent of what they now use.

“So that would serve you much better. If you go straight to renewable, it would be clean energy, but you will still be inefficient and wasting half your energy.”

His comments come at a time when many persons are complaining about high electricity bills. Edwards pointed out that in SVG, the electricity grid does not have a lot of renewable energy and as a result, the country is still very close to the starting line as it relates to renewable energy.

“As it relates to the energy efficiency part, I am not so sure where you are, but the two things tend to go hand in hand. When you see not much happening in renewable energy, chances are, not much is happening in energy efficiency either,” Edwards pointed out.

He said in SVG, the average electricity consumption per household seems to be under 300 kilowatts per month, which is “relatively low”. With this sort of consumption, he said an average customer can probably save close to 100 percent on their electricity bill with green energy sources like solar panels/photovoltaic (PV).

Solar panels, once set up correctly, can be linked to the St Vincent Electricity Services (VINLEC) grid in a way that excess energy generated by a private user can be sold back to VINLEC, he pointed out.

“They (private user) can install a system that can cover- it wouldn’t be a 100 percent, because renewable delivers energy- let’s say, between 9 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. which means that in the evening all the way though the night to the next morning things like PVs (photovoltaic) are not delivering, so during that time you still need to find a way to power your TV…Internet, refrigerator- those things need power all the time, Edwards elaborated.

“…so, PV would only deliver, let’s say half, and the other half you may still need to depend on the utility company,” Edwards explained, while noting however, that if some solar systems are big enough they can generate excess electricity in the day that can be sold to the utility companies, and that can sometimes cover the cost of electricity a household uses in the night.

“It can come off to give you a 100 percent, but you will have to make sure you size the system correctly to make sure that you sell enough during the day to cover what you use at night.”

Edwards said his main purpose for visiting SVG was to provide businesses with tools to help them become more efficient by changing behaviour patterns that encourage wastage, and encouraging investment in renewable energy.