EDITOR, The Tribune.
As the battle rages on about whether the BEC/BPL rates are too high, or whether they have increased by 60% or 70%, there is one thing that everyone seems to agree on and that is that electricity costs far too much.
O.K. BEC/BPL can’t help themselves because they are too burdened with legacy debt, so they are stuck with the same old generators that the UBP left them with back in the day.
Now, we all know the modus operandi of two particularly large business behemoths, Airbnb and Uber, the former now being the largest hotel company in the world and it doesn’t own a single hotel or room, and the other, the largest taxi company in the world that doesn’t own a single vehicle, nor has a single employee driving one. Both of these miracle businesses use someone else’s assets to power their business and simply take a cut in the middle.
It has long been discussed, if not actually begged for by the public, for BEC/BPL to offer net metering, but no government yet has seen the wisdom in doing this. I heard yesterday that there is a trial on 200 homes here but that is a drop in the bucket, compared to the number of consumers in the Bahamas. Just imagine if the several hundred thousand BEC/BPL customers covered their roofs (and whatever else they have) with duty free solar panels, that were generating electricity all day long, and automatically SELLING it to BEC/BPL, while the homeowner was out at work. Now extend this to the Out Islands, which are also a problem for BEC/BPL. I have a feeling that maybe they would not need the two generators destroyed by arson.
We need to think outside on the box now and then.
BRUCE G.RAINE
Nassau,
November 9, 2018.
Comments
sheeprunner12 5 years, 4 months ago
Always wondered ............ why does BPL not want ALL of our house roofs used to generate solar power ................ or windmills on remote Out Islands to help supply power to NP.
Porcupine 5 years, 4 months ago
Because the ones at the top don't want a cut from the middle. They want the bigger cut from the top. The same reason they push anchor projects, like Disney, instead of more sensible smaller development. Renewable energy is the only way to go. Solar, wind and tidal energy would free us from the grip of fossil fuel slavery. It takes a little vision. Just a little vision.
DDK 5 years, 4 months ago
Absolutely right on the first points. As to vision, with politicians that vision, where it exists, is very personal!
ThisIsOurs 5 years, 4 months ago
Yep it's the same reason when you go to them with an idea that can accomplish whatever they want they tell you they don't have the budget. Then next you hear they borrow 20 million to hire a foreign firm to do the same thing. Much more can be siphoned off from 20 million than 20 thousand.
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