Switch to renewable energy gets thumbs up

Henderson said small islands will save significantly from renewable energy
Henderson said small islands will save significantly from renewable energy

Vince Henderson, Permanent Representative of Dominica to the United Nations, has endorsed the moves by Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to switch over to renewable energy.

Speaking at the official opening ceremony of a validation workshop for the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREE) on Monday morning Henderson pointed out that the transition will result in significant savings for SIDS.

“The deployment of renewable energy technologies in small island developing states has the potential to transform their economies and reduce their reliance on importation of expensive fossil fuels,” he said. “The gains from savings from the switch to renewable energy can be used to provide better social services, infrastructure and enhance competitiveness of the private sector.”

Henderson pointed out that the Sustainable Energy Island Initiative (SIDSDOCK) is committed to create a mechanism to help SIDS generate the financial resource to invest in climate change adaptation, assist SIDS transition to a sustainable energy economy by increasing Energy Efficiency and the development of Renewable Energy, to provide a vehicle for mobilizing financial and technical resources to catalyst clean economic growth and provide SIDS with a mechanism for connecting with the global carbon market while taking advantage of the resource transfer possibilities that will be afforded.

In the meantime, Minister of Public Works, Energy and Ports Rayburn Blackmoore, added that Dominica has been able to implement a number of duty free concessions which has led to the investment of a number of renewable projects namely in solar and wind.

“By way of a corporate agreement with the government of China within a three-year period of time we shall be installing 2,500 solar street lights throughout the country,” he stated. “We have embarked on an energy audit of a number of public buildings namely the Dominica State College, the Dominica Air and Sea Port and a number of other government public buildings. We are currently contemplating the possibility of outfitting the Dominica State College with solar panels.”

He added that 66 percent of Dominica’s energy generation comes from fossil fuels while another 34 percent comes from hydro.

“Geothermal development shall lead the way as far as renewable energy development is concerned in Dominica,” Blackmoore stated. “We are well on our way of seeing a transformation in the energy sector a transformation that will bring about a new Dominica for the better, a transformation that will see Dominica being the first net exporter of renewable energy.”

Blackmoore noted that going forward, a small domestic plant will be set up to ensure that Dominicans can benefit from geothermal energy, the transmission lines will be upgraded and a study on the submarine cables will be conducted to allow for export of the renewable energy.

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10 Comments

  1. Francisco Telemaque
    July 25, 2014

    Now that election is here, the members of the Labor Party, even so called ambassador to the United Nations, jumps on his back foot shooting crap with his mouth, supporting the Prime Minister idea of renewable energy. Let us define “renewable”. Renewable means something capable of being replaced by natural ecological cycle. The powers that be in Dominica has no concept as to what renewable energy means. They hear people such as the President of the United States emphasize renewable energy, hence as everything else which sounds good to the Labor Party, they run with it; only to make fools of themselves.

    Renewable energy does not mean electricity generated by the wind only, nor by solar panels only. That is the Dominica concept of renewable energy. It is okay for them to run their mouths off so that their semi illiterate supporters believe that they are talking about something grand. Nevertheless, when the powers of Europe, the United States, and Canada talk about renewable energy, they are talking about mostly changing from some biofluids:

    They are talking about changing from coal-fired power plants; they are talking about changing from corn-ethanol which requires vast amount of land, water, and energy to move advanced cellulosic ethanol! In Dominica we utilized Diesel Generators, which uses diesel to generate electricity, in addition to perhaps a single hydro power plant, I do not know if that is still operational. It is stupid for a government minister, and stupid Vince Henderson, to impress Dominicans with such wishful rhetoric, when they know that we do not do any kind of scientific R&D (research and development) in our country: So, what renewable energy are they proposing? When the government change from the diesel generators what are they going to use to generate electricity?

    If they are talking about the generation of electricity, by Wind Mills, or the Use of Solar Panels, there is a problem. Solar Panels generates electricity in the day as long as there is sunlight. By the same token for a Wind Mill to generate electricity, the wind must be blowing constantly. I hear someone mentioned storage of Electricity, for that to happen, since we do not generate DC; one would have to convert from AC, to DC, and stored into a cries of DC barites, and the amount could range into thousands, then to get that to homes one would have to reconvert into AC, since direct current cannot be transmitted over long distances.

    Anyway the Labor Party will make belief they know how to resolve that problem.

    Our niche is absolutely hydroelectricity, that is what brought the Colonial Development Corporation to Dominica in the first place in the 1950’s; that is why they have a 99 year monopoly over all the rivers in Dominica. There are enough rivers in the country which can be used for the purpose of producing hydroelectricity, which is way cheaper than using diesel generators. Here is another problem; rather than the government contract some geothermal engineering firm, and let them install the proposed geothermal plant, the government prefers to pay Ambrose son to fart around playing he knows about geothermal plant installation plant. I understand is a geologists; his speciality has nothing to do with geothermal engineering, but; to the government of Dominica he knows how to erect and install a geothermal plant.

    All nonsense!

    Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque

  2. Anonymous
    July 24, 2014

    Ignorant lot try and grow up the whole lot of you. well it just goes to show that the PM is listening to allyou stupid Linton as oppose to the opposite. With friends like you lot who needs enemies.

  3. dias
    July 23, 2014

    you ppl are real idiots you know. that is all you commenterS can say. jealousy is a real ting. this man come up in life when he could have gone the wrong way. big up HONOURABLE VINCE HENDERSON. big up. keep striving for the best for your self and your country. god bless you. JEAN SEN JOE

    • Anonymous
      July 25, 2014

      Some people just sour,de man trying to develop his country, when it have some all they does do is take.
      We love u Vince

  4. Not a herd follower
    July 23, 2014

    According to Blackmoore, ”We are currently contemplating the possibility of outfitting the Dominica State College with solar panels.” I recall some months ago Industrial Engineer Joseph Isacc of Team Dominica made that recommendation.

  5. wind sun water energ
    July 23, 2014

    we have men in Dominica that been calling for development of optional energy foe ages but because they are not of the same party, no one take notice of them so the whole country suffers you men with boys mentality need to grow up step down so the country can move forward.

  6. Anonymous
    July 23, 2014

    “The deployment of renewable energy technologies in small island developing states has the potential to transform their economies and reduce their reliance on importation of expensive fossil fuels,” I thought it would have been OUR economies.. and OUR reliance… you good.., an outside perspective!!!!! What renewable strategy WE pushing at the Gen Assembly???

  7. Bush Man
    July 23, 2014

    Just saying….SIDS is an acronym for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Lets hope that our SIDS will live to a ripe ole age.

  8. ....................
    July 23, 2014

    Stuppessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss. Man go and hide somewhere. Are you doing Dominicas work at the UN or the corrupt Dominica Labour Work? Remember you are under the microscope.
    CHANGE IS A MUST!

    • Controversy
      July 24, 2014

      you will just see his pores through the microscope……nou jha la nou kay waytay…jealousy is a sin…westay la

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