Branson company buys Bodden Town solar farm
Solar Farm in Bodden Town (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
(CNS): BMR Energy, a regional sustainable clean energy company that is now owned by Sir Richard Branson, has acquired the 5MW solar plant in Bodden Town from Entropy Cayman Solar Ltd. According to a press release from the Virgin Group company, it will now take over the operations of the utility-scale solar project and the agreement it has with Caribbean Utilities Company (CUC). The solar farm, which has 21,690 photovoltaic panels, has been operational for 18 months. It is located in the quarry area of the district and is currently providing power to around 800 Bodden Town homes
Bruce Levy, CEO of BMR Energy, said in the release that his team was looking forward “to driving facility operations to boost efficiency to deliver as much clean energy as we can for the community”, with plans to expand the Cayman operation. The release said BMR was working closely with CUC to provide reliable renewable energy to end users, supporting the current government’s target of supplying 70% of electricity used from renewable sources by 2037.
Sacha Tibbetts, Vice President Customer Services and Technology for CUC, said in the BMR release that CUC has a target of providing 25% of energy for the grid from renewable energy sources by 2025 and to meet the National Energy Policy over the longer term.
BMR said that last year it had continued to work towards Branson’s goal of accelerating renewable energy adoption and building a cleaner, more resilient energy future for the Caribbean and Latin America. It dedicated much of the last twelve months to restoring existing solar projects that were damaged during the 2017 hurricane season and exploring new promising markets for renewable energy in the region.
Me thinks it’s a way for tax evasion!
On the flip side great?! to have a foreign billionaire investor?
I hope he isn’t buying it to get in on the sweet deal Entropy has of supplying electricity at 17 cents C.I. that is has locked in for the next many years when Hawaii Electric is buying solar plus batteries for 8-12 cents US.
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/hawaiian-electric-industries-announces-mind-blowing-solar-plus-storage-cont#gs.IaW05uBm
One square mile of solar plus batteries (about the size of the existing quarries) and we would need very little diesel power.
Waste of good land that could have been used for fracking.
Thank you, Sir Richard.
I hope he takes over Cayman Airways, these guys at CAL ARE JOKERS!! BRACKA
lol
Branson is a stooge propped up by money that is not his.
So sad that every headline needs to be transformed into a political and cultural Cayman this Cayman that debate. Never heard of BMR but anyone who follows richard bransons portfolio especially in the Caribbean knows that this is a stand up guy who really is investing for the better in the region. Entropy’s loss will be BMR’s gain in this purchase.
This is a modern day socializing.
Yeah? Have you heard of this little organisation called the NHS?
Think and PLAN ahead.
“The problem of solar panel disposal “will explode with full force in two or three decades and wreck the environment” (FORBES, May 23, 2018, article. The link is below)
“Solar energy is inexpensive and environmentally friendly – until your solar panels have reached the end of their lifetime. After about 30 years, many crystalline silicon solar panels will start having significant dips in energy production and it may be time to replace them or dispose of them entirely.
Like any manufactured product, disposing of solar panels is hardly environmentally friendly. Heavy metals like cadmium and lead are found in solar cells, which can harm the natural environment if they are not recycled or disposed of properly. Additionally, solar panels that are carelessly thrown away can end up in large landfills.
Besides environmental protection, recycling solar panels will be economically impactful as well. Some of the rare elements in photovoltaic (PV) cells like gallium and indium are being depleted from the environment over time.”
Solar panel recycling is important for the future of solar
https://news.energysage.com/recycling-solar-panels/
Solar panels are becoming less and less recyclable as the need for recycling them looms more and more. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2018/09/04/innovation-is-making-solar-panels-harder-to-recycle/#26b63add4c0a
If Solar Panels Are So Clean, Why Do They Produce So Much Toxic Waste?https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelshellenberger/2018/05/23/if-solar-panels-are-so-clean-why-do-they-produce-so-much-toxic-waste/#2b175101121c
10:47, I assume you are also concerned about the dump?
there links to everything on the internet…. finding fault in solar technology is typical trump type mentallity…drill, baby,drill????
Bull. I support Trump AND solar.
You can’t though.
Then you should definitely enlist in Trump’s Space Force. As you are obviously a space cadet
Therein lies your problem!
But…but… not a single person is thinking about where Mr. Branson would be dispising of the solar panels when time comes. It should be spelled out in the contract.
7:12 Silly question. Mount Trashmore obviously,but maybe in 35 years the Mount Trashmore problem will be solved by the time the solar panels are no longer useful.
Thank God Trump has fixed most of what the previous president destroyed like the American economy for example…and no, no thanks to Obama!
hahaha, yeah you keep thinking that way and telling everyone you meet about how smart you and Trump are. Great way for intellectuals to avoid you lot.
I would imagine thstvBranson would have the spent panels recycled.
It is good to see more alternative energy is planning to be built.
yeah…not for caymanians…or the PR holders (now, now…).
Please save it.
If you knocked that chip off your shoulder and looked outside your nice familiar she’ll, you are more likely to succeed and prosper .
Frankly I find it fishy that Branson has taken such an interest in Cayman. Maybe we’ll soon find out why.
as i native, i welcome sir richard branson to the islands…his intentions are positive!!☺
He’s not actually coming – just some of his money. He is well entrenched in BVI. But agree with the sentiment- nice to see some rich people investing in Cayman in things that actually benefit all.
Where there is Branson, there is Dart.
what are you talking about?
So did the USA think about Solendra too that it was all positive till it needed a bailout and went belly up.
2 Tigers in the pen , what you think would happen to you .
Cost overruns occur all of the time in the private sector except these don’t involve public cash!
We don’t normally hear of them.
Yes. Donald Trump went bankrupt 3 times and his supporters say he is a brilliant businessman.
Why is it that leftist can’t ever recount facts accurately? Trump never went bankrupt. Busnisses like Taj-Mahal Casino filed chapter 11, not personal bankrupcy. The fact is he is still a billionaire, something you, and anyone in your entire family will likely never achieve.
Here is a recap:
Trump has filed for _business_ bankruptcy (Not Trump personally as you imply) four times.
The Trump Taj Mahal in 1991, Trump Plaza Hotel in 1992, Trump Hotels and Casinos Resorts in 2004 and Trump Entertainment Resorts in 2009. Each time, the bankruptcy was a Chapter 11 filing. While Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy deal with personal bankruptcies, Chapter 11 is most often used by businesses filing for bankruptcy. Chapter 11 bankruptcy allows a financially struggling business to reorganize in order to keep going. A Chapter 11 filing can potentially enable a business owner to avoid liquidating the company. In fact, it can often be said that a Chapter 11 bankruptcy is in the best interests of the business and in no way a reflection of a poorly run company. PolitiFact took a look at all four of Trump’s Chapter 11 bankruptcies and determined that they were a result of business struggles largely beyond control.
Lol. Delusional
Thank you for enlightening some of the liberal parrots around here. No facts just typical CNN talking points.
So you are saying he is a brilliant business person because he filed for business bankrupcy 3 times?
fake news
forget politics.. as a native, i welcome the clean energy and loosining of CuC’s monopolistic grip….hopefully water will follow….
CUC still firmly hold the reigns and controls the industry here. All the right people and organisations have shares. This status quo is not about to change any time soon. Don’t hold your breath. CIG have made is clear by OfReg’s impotence that real competition is not welcome here.
Think you mean incompetence, not impotence ??
You didnt mention that there was a $2m cost overrun on the construction of this project. How could this happen in the private sector??
Oh, I dunno. Probably had to fund months of delays waiting for a signature from some petty official who could not be bothered to process some simple paperwork.
Typical Cayman contractors’ trick.
Is Entropy Cayman Solar Ltd a governments owned business? If it isn’t, it’s private sector
happens all the time…at least its not like the civil service who waste the peoples money!
Because private means just that. They’re not looking for handouts from the public and if costs over-run, they themselves pay for it. CIG spends our money which they collect through duties and fees. We pay for everything they do so when they want to spend 1.5 million on a crappy boardwalk, YOU/we helped to pay for it so it’s our concern when our money is being wasted.