BVI environmental lobby group pushes to change energy law
www.caribjournal.com - Wednesday, October 19th, 2011 at 3:09 PM
From Dominica to Jamaica, the Caribbean’s green energy movement has made significant strides over the last several years. But for those in the British Virgin Islands, going green can be a bit more difficult.
Despite growing support in the country for cleaner forms of power, a longstanding energy law makes it effectively illegal for anyone to use green energy as their primary source of electricity.
Now one group is lobbying to change that.
“Essentially, we have legislation from the 1970s, and it makes the use of renewable energy as your main source of power illegal,” said Charlotte McDevitt, executive director of Green VI, a nonprofit based in Tortola. “If you’re in a country with as much sunshine and wind as we have, it makes sense to use those as your power sources.”
Green VI has retained the Harneys law firm in Road Town to help them lobby the government for a revision, drafting an amended version of the law that would allow for green energy as a primary source of power.
Under the current legislation, the BVIEC (British Virgin Islands Electricity Corporation) has the exclusive right to generate electricity, except in situations like those on some outer islands where no electricity is available.
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We have both a home in the U.S. and a home in Tortola. We partnered with a U.S. solar provider to install solar panels on our roof in the U.S, and cut our electric bill in half! By contract, we now know what our electric cost will be for the next 20 years!! Moreover, we get a periodic rebate from Southern CA Edison, as our system feedsback unused electric to their grid! Unfortunately, the savings in the U.S we gain their, we must use to help pay the exhorbatant high electric costs at our home in Tortola…we could be spending this money toward a better BVI economy. If BVI government instituted a national partnering program (i.e., provider credits to solar vendors) for residence installations, just think of what the effeciencys and revenue feedback can do to help booster the BVI economy! Talk about a great way to create jobs and reduce the cost of living….? Sounds like a “no brainer” to me…
The new administration must MUST look at this. The BVI way behind as usual!
It’s about time! One would think that some of the politicians would get behind such an initiative and seriously promote alternative energy use within the territory.
I guess that requires too much forward thinking!
How do those of us who would like to join forces with this programme contact them?
please sign the our petition on our website for clean, renewable energy for the BVI at http://www.greenvi.org
This law is in need of change
let the sun & the wind in.
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