BAPE president calls for new way of doing things

BAPE president calls for new way of doing things

WHILE GOVERNMENT remains committed to transforming Barbados into the world's first renewable energy economy by 2030, the head of the engineers association is cautioning it will require a different way of doing business. President of the Barbados Association of Professional Engineers (BAPE), Lieutenant Colonel Trevor Browne, said renewable energy was another in a series of issues that could be dealt with efficiently if the administrative system was updated.

He was speaking at a recent BAPE conference at the Savannah Hotel. "Renewable energy technologies have become increasingly practical over the past decade. Many experts believe Barbados has the potential to achieve complete transformation from fossil fuels to renewable technology, and our Government has now set as a national mandate for this to be completed for electricity by 2030. "The root of our problems stems from outdated management systems that drive our administrative systems. These new technologies demand the application of appropriate expertise in their selection, installation and maintenance if they are

to perform as designed, but this kind of modern management generally cannot be provided through the antiquated systems that had been established in less complicated times," Browne added.

He said the issues of potholes, a building code, sick building syndrome and hurricane preparedness were all solvable, but like renewable energy, required inputs at the highest levels of planning and execution.

"We support Government's policy in respect to renewables. However, it needs to be supported by a very clear vision of what this energy future will look like by 2030; by clear guidelines and rules that will guide the policy; by clear determination of what success and failures will look like and what the consequences would be.

"These decisions then must be interpreted and documented by law which supports the predetermined national policy, and will require expert level consensus among the various groups in order to conceptualise successful, workable implementation standards for Barbados," he said.

Minister of Energy and Water Resources Wilfred Abrahams said the current financial situation and climate change had mandated a change in the way people lived, so Government was determined to make the change to renewables. He added this would require multiple energy options ? solar, biomass, ocean and storage.

The minister said the Barbados Water Authority was the island's largest user of electricity but the plan was to employ 4.5 megawatts of photovoltaic energy, with back-up natural gas turbines at three

pumping stations, along with other initiatives like increasing rain water storage.

In addition, Abrahams said discussions were under way with the transport sector ? which accounted for 30 per cent of all imported fuel ? to increase the use of electric or hybrid vehicles. (CA)

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