The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

A Cabinet minister yesterday pledged the government will be “aggressive” in going after its renewable energy targets following the $4m unveiling of this nation’s first utility-scale solar project.

Romauld Ferreira, minister of the environment and housing, told Tribune Business that the Minnis administration was keen to replicate the 925 kilowatt (kW) solar car park at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium elsewhere in The Bahamas.

“The issue is always the budget,” he said. “We spend a lot of time looking for available grant money. We are grateful to the Government of the United Arab Emirates for funding this, and we’re looking for more, and so next up is Anatol Rodgers.

“Then the car park at the Prime Minister’s Office, and then the prime minister foreshadowed Ragged Island. We will not stop. We are going to be aggressive in implementing the goals of renewable energy because we understand that in order to bring the cost of electricity down we need a renewable energy injection into the energy matrix.”

The solar photovoltaic (PV) carport power plant was developed using the $50m United Arab Emirates (UAE)-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund (CREF). Financed by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the UAE-CREF is a partnership between it, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC), and Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company).

It is estimated that the 925 kW solar array will displace an estimated 310,000 litres of diesel fuel per year, saving the government and Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) around $350,000 and offsetting 856 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. The project is also designed to withstand winds of up to 160 miles per hour.

The solar car port has 152 parking spaces, including two that have fast-charging for electric vehicles.

Mr Ferreira, meanwhile, added: “It’s important for the cost of energy to be reduced to grow the economy and create more jobs. It’s also important to our energy security for us to diversify. We can’t just be dependent on diesel and Bunker C.

“It’s not wise because then we are dependent on the whims of the market economy. The price of oil, even though it trends down, it usually goes up. With the price of energy being tied to the price of oil it means the price of all goods and services will go up.”

The Cabinet minister stressed that the Minnis administration was “determined and committed” to bringing down the cost of energy. “That is how we are going to reduce the cost of living and create more employment opportunities,” he added. “If businesses and potential investors have to pay less on energy, they can invest more in people. This is the long-term vision in terms of what we hope to do.”

Mr Ferreira said the government has incentivised renewable energy’s roll-out by eliminating the duty on solar kits, which represent all the equipment needed to install a solar PV system. “That’s the biggest incentive. Nothing in renewable energy or the environment is going to work unless the financing is right,” he added.

“We are also working to make sure that potential investors have access to capital. The structure at the stadium is $4m, and that is a significant capital outlay. At the same time we appreciate that we have to make those linkages between the lending institutions and renewable energy. That is what we have been working to do.

“It’s been challenging but we have not given up. That is part of the aggressive approach that we want to take to be impactful in the lives of Bahamians. We can’t cower in a corner but must bravely go forward to impact the quality of life for Bahamians.”