FULL STORY: Solar street lights to be installed
BVI News Online - Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010 at 7:51 AM
The British Virgin Islands Electricity Corporation (BVIEC) is expected to install solar energy street lights on Tortola, with an aim to reduce dependency on fossil fuel and save energy.
General Manager of the BVIEC, Leroy Abraham says this is one area that the corporation has been considering for the last 10 years.
“The BVI Electricity Corporation has been looking at the use of renewable energy for the past 10 years, we have been looking solely in reference to complementing our generation base, utilizing renewable energy, but based on the challenges in that regard, we have not been able to make any significant headway with regards to complementing our generation base utilizing renewable energy,” Abraham said.
“Alternatively, there have been some recent advancement in reference to the usage of solar energy for the utilization of street lighting. Based on that fact, we essentially view that as a very good initial step to demonstrate to the public the corporation’s commitment to seriously contemplating the utilization of green technology in its co business functions and therefore reducing its dependency on fossil fuel,” he explained.
This is part of the BVIEC and Natural Resources and Labour pilot programme to conserve energy.
According to Abraham, the corporation will be first introducing four solar energy street lights as a sample.
“We only acquired four lights as a sample just to see how they will function to make sure that can reliably bear sufficient lighting in reference for the purpose intended. Street lighting is solely under the responsibility of government and this initial step is essentially a teaser to expose government and the wider Territory in reference to this technology, and to see if it can be utilized for lighting our Territory’s roads,” he stated.
The first light, which was commissioned on June 17, has been operating successfully, despite inclement weather conditions for the past three days, Abraham noted.
“The fixture is the same wattage as the current street lights that we utilize. The current street lights are 70watts high pressure sodium this is a 70 watt LED fixture so it is a different type of lighting mechanism from what we use, so we are going to experiment for a couple of months to make sure that their intended reliability is there and after getting the assurance and the guarantee that the fixtures are operating to our expectations, then it would be left to the government to make that decision, as to whether they want to continue utilizing or making further steps in that direction as regards street lighting in the Territory,” the BVIEC manager said.
He said the lights will be placed in an area between Pockwood Pond and Towers West End which has been for a long time without street lights.
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I am soooooo HAPPY to hear/know and read that NEW street lights are coming….Thank you Jesus!!! I won't even complain about how long it took gov't to make good and take notice,,,,but I will send a Hearty “THANK YOU” too all who worked hard to get things up and in order….Good looking out!!
Bravo! Kudos for the initiative. Now get rid of the archaic law banning persons from generating their own electricity AND allow them to put back into the grid.
@ Right on! i agre with you…thats why they have to trail, to make sure everything is in proper oder.
You cant just put up solar panels and BAM they working. You have to make sure they are the right solar panels to catch the most percentage of uv light to create power and other things come into play. But i am very happy that this is being thought about….following through with it is a totally different story. We'll see.
You see I can't understand you people, when you just up and do something and it doesn't work then we say “ohhh they just wasting money”. I am in agreement there needs to always be a preliminary trial in whatever you do. So people this is the way to probably do things!
why would we need a trial. The BVI is sunny most of the year. and as Klingon say the lights are tested already
fraser hit a homerun again !!!!
Wonderful idea. Please install the lights properly and monitor their effectiveness so that we may as consumers one day be able to use alternative energy sources also. This is one of the most wise decisions and positive movements for the future of the BVI that I have heard in a long long time
This was long in coming, what test do we need, are we trying to reinvent the wheel these lights are used in China, India and the South Korea to name a few countries and they work fine. hopefully this trial will not take more than six months
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