The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

A FAMILY’S monthly electricity bill was slashed in half after their home became one of the first in the country to be powered by solar energy during the day.

Before inviting Bahamas Alternative Energy (BAE) to install the system, home owner Trevor Pinder approached several companies looking for a plan to reduce his electricity bill.

“The other companies didn’t know what they were doing but with this one – so far, so good,” he told The Tribune, adding: “Their system is basically invisible. The cost of solar panels has come down a whole lot since it was originally introduced. You could put in a decent system for less than it costs you to buy a car.”

Adrian Forsythe, vice president of BAE, told The Tribune more and more people are seeking solar energy systems for their homes because they are cheaper in the long run and environmentally more responsible.

“The homeowner approached us and we gave him a 4,000 kilowatt system with no interruptions and problems. It’s cheap, you could pay for it in about five to six years and it costs about $12,000 to get installed.”

Mr Pinder’s particular system, he said, is a “grid-tide system with no batteries”, meaning that his home will be off BEC completely during the day. At night-time, the home will be hooked up to BEC.

“Ninety per cent of our job is educating customers about the technology,” he said.

And regarding the financial savings breakdown of Mr Pinder’s system, he said: “It will save the customer $5-$10 per day, $5 on a hot cloudy day and $10 on a cool sunny day.”

“It’s also by far better than using BEC because no (greenhouse gas) emissions come from it. It’s annoying that the Bahamas hasn’t caught on to it because it’s definitely the future. We have the climate for it. We need to speed up our respect for this industry because environmentally it’s much better.”