Cayman has room for full rollout of renewables
(CNS): The suggestion that Cayman doesn’t have room to accommodate enough solar panels or wind turbines to generate all of its power from renewables has been debunked in the government’s new draft National Energy Policy. The revised policy, which is even more ambitious than the last one, has a target of generating 100% of our power from green resources by 2050 and 30% by 2030. While it has been established that Cayman has the capacity to adapt to a greener future, it now needs to pick up the pace.
According to the draft NEP, in order to meet the 100% renewable energy target by 2050, the Cayman Islands will have to have solar panels on rooftops, car parks and old quarries in addition to utility-sized solar farms and also review the exclusion zones to develop wind farms.
CUC is currently buying energy from just one utility solar farm in Bodden Town, which generates just 5MW of electricity. The project, built by Entropy Cayman Solar Ltd, was plagued with problems and sold in 2019. Since then, CUC has begun work on a battery installation and last year OfReg began a procurement exercise for a 23MW plant, but there has been no update on the progress of that bid.
The rest of the power generated across Grand Cayman comes from the handful of property owners who are completely off the grid and generating their own energy through domestic-scale renewables or from those on the CORE and DER feedback programmes
Both OfReg and CUC have been blamed by those in the green energy sector for stalling the development of alternative sources of energy, and they believe a radical overhaul is needed to begin the rollout of renewables in earnest.
The revised policy, which was published this week, sets out what needs to be done to help Cayman create a greener future. But it is clear that a great deal of investment will be necessary to give shape to the policy, and there are no mandatory requirements for developers. Instead, the policy depends on encouragement and the goodwill of those with the power and the purse strings. It also relies on the development of better alternative energy technologies and a drop in prices as the sector evolves.
According to the authors of the report, previous analyses had suggested possible limitations in the availability of attainable acreage for renewable energy generation development, but that has been dismissed. The policy sets out how the country can make the most of both its year-round sunshine and strong winds.
“Careful assessment of available lands, including landfills and mined-out quarries, as well as available rooftops and parking lots, has yielded a sufficiency of sites conducive to the development of utility-scale and DG opportunities,” the draft policy has found.
It also noted that government would need to revise the airport exclusion zone restrictions to accommodate wind energy facilities on Grand Cayman and outlines how Doppler and airport radar stations can coexist with utility-scale wind energy facilities.
When the report was undertaken in 2021, only 3% of power was generated from renewables here. While that number has increased slightly over the last 18 months, less than 8% of Grand Cayman’s capacity is generated by green resources. But with CUC’s continued customer growth as the population increases, the amount of diesel being burned is actually growing.
In his introduction to the draft policy, Premier Wayne Panton, who is the minister for sustainability, said that for future generations to thrive, the Cayman Islands must shift away from its reliance on expensive, volatile and polluting fossil fuels to affordable, reliable and clean renewable energy.
“In light of the recently released Climate Change Risk Assessment for the Cayman Islands, this policy update includes new policies for energy resiliency to protect against storms, electric vehicles and energy storage, all of which support greenhouse gas emission reductions,” the premier wrote. “The updated policy acknowledges that sustainable development requires a greater emphasis on social equity to promote energy access and professional opportunities for all Caymanians.”
Despite this emphasis on equity, the policy says nothing about public ownership of renewables, which Panton proposed in April last year. In his keynote address at the Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum, he said his government would seek to take control of Cayman’s future green energy resources through majority ownership of any new solar or other renewable energy facilities.
Panton has continued to make his commitment to renewable energy clear. He stated again in the introduction to the NEP that Cayman cannot turn the tide against global warming but has a responsibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the use of environmentally-friendly sources of energy.
“Advancing our renewable energy goals will also help protect our islands from the volatility of traditional fuels and the external shocks of international markets,” he said.
“The vision of the policy, ‘Enhancing and embracing a sustainable lifestyle through responsible,
affordable, and innovative energy supply and consumption’, speaks to our collective aspiration for a
Cayman Islands that is held up as one of the most sustainable countries in the world, a trio of islands
where all its citizens can thrive; a peaceful and prosperous place known for its resourcefulness, its
diligence, its excellence, and its innovativeness.”
See the new draft energy policy, supporting documents and how to submit comments here.
Take the online survey here.
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Category: Energy, Policy, Politics, Science & Nature
What people seem to be missing in this discussion, and what should add great urgency to mass scale solar installation, is that every year, the Cayman utility buys/imports well over US$100 mm dollars worth of diesel to power the 165 MW of power generation assets.
For US$100 mm you could do 100 MW of solar power and within a year the diesel import bill drops by 50-75 mm dollars. Why is it not happening? There is no excuse, even if CUC needs to be paid for the depreciation of its diesel assets. Utility scale solar pays for itself almost entirely by reducing the diesel import bill.
You’re on the right track, but a 100MW solar plant would only offset about 26% of the current fuel usage, based on CUC’s 2022 annual report.
This to say that the rationale is good, but the implied annual fuel savings would be maybe $20-30M, depending on the future cost of diesel. This doesn’t account for any other costs needed to store the solar production, or curtailment losses, in the event that there was excess supply at any point in time. (So savings likely lower still, or costs higher per MW of solar investment.)
Posters should not assume batteries are the only solution to storage. There are other utility-scale methods (thermal, CAES to name a few) that do not work for the home but do work for a small country/utility.
… and yet we still ignore new technology: small modular nuclear reactors. We let our unfounded and ill-informed emotions outweigh science and rational thinking.
Modular nuclear reactors take up minimal space, provide years of reliable power, and make the most sense in conjunction with widespread solar and wind power, which is why it will never happen here.
Think outside the box and solve this permanently! $0.06-$0.08/KWH and MORE profit for CUC!
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/28/oklo-planning-nuclear-micro-reactors-that-run-off-nuclear-waste.html
https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/what-nuclear-microreactor
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200309-are-small-nuclear-power-plants-safe-and-efficient
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a31045491/smallest-nuclear-plant-oklo-aurora/
+ Smash the CUC monopoly
+ Require acceptance of net metering on all renewables
+ Bifurcate generation from distribution with different (non-Dart!) companies
+ ALWAYS REMEMBER: We, the residents of Grand Cayman, paid for the total reconstruction of the electricity distribution system on island, post-Ivan, by being charged a “surcharge” on our CUC bills for years after the hurricane passed to pay for the rebuild as they did not set aside funds to do this. We own the those electricity poles!
+ Its time that CUC went the way of the telephone monopoly that was on-island – break the monopoly and let competition prevail and watch prices fall and service improve.
you are 100% right.CUC has been taking advantage of us from start. They need to be put in their place. They are a bunch of disgusting … ..
I’m all for converting CUC into a fully solar facility if it means long term savings and more prosperity. In fact it shouldn’t cost the consumer anything extra with the elimination of diesel offset. That’s a plan that actually makes sense without pushing fear and bs propaganda. Go for it.
Nuclear is the path forward, and solar & wind turbines would release us from dependency on fossil fuels.
Watch the rates go up to pay for it all out of our pockets.
You will need 100+ mw just to charge cars. Who’s going to dispose and service these cars plus look at all the fires from electric vehicles in the us after the hurricanes.
Salt water and electrics don’t mix
Actually, it will be far higher than that! So what will produce all that power? California wants to be totally electric by 2035, and yet they are currently BEGGING electric car owners NOT TO CHARGE due to power shortages. It is estimated that power generation will have to QUADRUPLE, just to keep electric cars charged. How much diesel will it take to do that? Solar will never be able to do that, as electric cars charge mostly AT NIGHT when there is no sun!! Total electric vehicles is a pipe dream, to run on unicorn farts!
There isn’t enough land area to use wind power, which is too highly variable and kills birds at an alarming rate. Nuclear is the only way to achieve this, and the ‘micro-nuke’ technology is quite mature at this point, producing $0.06 to $0.08 per KWH power. It does this reliably and uninterrupted with more profit for the power industry than is currently available!
Dat Caymanian education shining bright again!
Say no to wind farms!!
HOVER WIND ENERGY TURBINE SURVIVING HURRICANE IAN
https://twitter.com/hover_energy/status/1585346609491083272?s=46&t=N-2nPeaMLDgSetH_TDkmzw
Ian was few miles short of cat.5
105m/h is cat.2
The FOXES are in charge of the hen house.
The real problem is that the majority of home owners simply can’t afford expensive solar panels or wind turbine installations. With the cost of borrowing increasing it adds to the problem. Why doesn’t government offer grants or interest free loans to make this accessible to ordinary people. We also have to remember that just one powerful hurricane will rip solar panels of and send wind turbines flying everywhere. No doubt you will be penalised by insurance companies too.
Wind Turbines are more than able to withstand storms of varying degrees, and they’re best placed offshore anyway.
No Sir, offshore works well for those in shallow water, but that’s not Cayman! For Cayman the answer has been obvious for years, cancel the CUC stranglehold, under which they are massively rewarded for putting in oversupply of carbon based generation, in a place tailor made for wind and solar and keep a small oil based generation plant for those times when renewables don’t work. Where else on earth can boast solar at Cayman levels along with almost certain 15 mph North East wind? Where else has a large and mostly uninhabitable hinterland where panels and turbines can be sited. It is really a no brainier, but that’s the problem, either the politicians have no brain, or CUC are polluting the thought process!
CAYMAN ISLANDS GOVERNMENT IGNORES UK ROYAL NAVY SUSTAINABILITY RECOMMENDATIONS!
“On current data, it takes HMS Eaglet ‘off grid’ by a forecasted baseline of 63 per cent.”
Embracing environmental technology has created a new-look headquarters more pleasant to work in, more useful to the wider Ministry of Defence as a regional hub in the North-West, at the same time as cutting bills and CO2 emissions.
Colonel Mark Underhill, Chief Executive of NW RFCA said “The Hover Energy wind turbine at HMS Eaglet in Liverpool is incredibly important and extremely exciting; it represents a quantum leap in our green energy revolution.
Kenny , Wayne, Jay…, Anything to say to the citizens of the Cayman Islands?
You have no more excuses! Your silence is now incapable of being justified or explained.
https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2023/april/24/20230424-cutting-edge-turbine-helps-navys-hq-in-liverpool-slash-energy-bills
What are the cons of the rooftop Microgrids?
All electrical and electronic device create electromagnetic fields or EMF around them when used and also emit electromagnetic radiation. This includes solar panels and solar inverters.
Can you provide links to the studies on effects of this technology on our bodies? How people’s health is affected? Noise, especially at night time, emf and other parameters?
Many hear a low frequency hum, almost a vibration, at night And there’s no escape.
Electro-hypersensitivity, as well as noise hypersensitivity are real, to the contrary of the “there’s no scientific evidence that supports it” mantra. I’m not even talking about man made EMF levels.
I am 40 and have been diagnosed with Dysautonomia, Neurological Autoimmunity, Chronic pain, Onco-neural antibodies positive, Epileptic Vertigo, small pericardial effusion, Cortical nephrocalcinosis, often have critical drops in BP, tachycardia, arrhythmias, regularly experience fragmented sleep, pressure hives and I do hear humming at night which is driving me to insanity.
My parents and siblings live in Eastern Europe, Latvia. Nobody, including my grandparents who are alive, had or has anything like that.
No COVID or jabs.
Doctors are perplexed for I don’t belong to any high risk groups.
So what it is that is killing me?
And the icing on the cake is severe adverse reactions to prednisone, the one and only medicine for managing my symptoms.
your mobile phone will be 90% of your EMF…..
Not addicted. Keep it at least 5 meters away.
How scary is this? Just 7 years ago. This is why CUC remains so unwilling.
https://www.caymancompass.com/2016/07/31/cuc-unveils-new-diesel-generators-urges-caution-on-renewables/
The historical restrictions on adopting more solar energy than we have today has always been a total farce lead by CUC and OfReg.
There have always been solutions to the challenges of adopting renewables en mass but because of monopolistic self interest and regulatory incompetence via a lock-step philosophy of supporting the monopoly utility, today we remain around 3% renewable energy penetration.
In order to attain our hails we cannot have the monopoly utility restricting 3rd party generators (solar at your home or business, etc) because they want to control as much of that generation as possible as an integrated monopoly utility.
Yes, that can be done in ways that do NOT negatively affect the grid, however it can’t be done in ways that maintain the same revenues and profits of CUC’s existing and desired integrated monopoly model… and therein lies the rub.
The revised NEP and other initiatives now in front of the decision makers provide the opportunity to forever break the stranglehold these entities have held over the progress of clean energy generation. What remains now is to implement, we need less talk and more action.
Hi James, can you provide specifics?
How will we power our Hatteras?
Plenty of room in the North Sound
https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/worlds-largest-offshore-windfarm-being-7536793.amp
How do we dispose of all the old panels & batteries? How do we out an electric car fire?
Carbon footprint recycling of solar panels is not sustainable under current technological methods.
https://8billiontrees.com/solar-panels/solar-panel-recycling/
✅”The problem with solar panel disposal is that the recycling process is energy intensive, and they cannot be simply thrown away because of the dangerous metals that can leech into the groundwater.”
Solar Panel Production and Disposal – An Environmental Impact
https://energy5.com/solar-panel-production-and-disposal-an-environmental-impact
✅”…the production and disposal of solar panels can have a significant impact on the environment.”
Are Solar Panels Hazardous Waste? https://www.epa.gov/hw/end-life-solar-panels-regulations-and-management#:~:text=Some%20of%20these%20metals%2C%20like,a%20hazardous%20waste%20under%20RCRA.
✅”Some of these metals, like lead and cadmium, are harmful to human health and the environment at high levels. If these metals are present in high enough quantities in the solar panels, solar panel waste could be a hazardous waste under RCRA.”
CUC bots never take the day off
RCRA is a US Superfund cleanup organisation. That is, they deal with HUGE cleanups — groundwater, great gouts of contaminated soil, etc. The clue to the applicability of your link is in the wording you quoted: “IF these metals are present in high enough quantities…..”
It is not really applicable as a reason to not invest in solar panels. Yes, their disposal could require creation of an analogue of U.S. Class III disposal sites. It’s like saying that nobody in the world should have nuclear power plants, because the waste products are dangerous, while assuming that hydrocarbons are not.
It’s simply a matter of balancing a cost-benefit, and preparing for a cradle-to-grave usage. I get it that those aren’t currently our strongest skills, however, the risks are almost certainly less than the risks we are forced to assume every day of our lives with power generated by the burning of hydrocarbons.
In the damn dump
According to my latest CUC bill, 3.7% of renewable energy contributed to Grand Cayman’s total energy production NOT 8% as per the report. That related to a 0.7% increase since 2021 – not good enough!
PACT has known about Hover Energy since they took office!!! If it’s good enough for UK ROYAL NAVY HEADQUARTERS why won’t they look into it? Just pure silence!
https://dallasinnovates.com/a-royal-navy-building-is-first-in-u-k-to-install-dallas-based-hovers-wind-powered-microgrid/
As long as CUC and OffReg keeps kneecapping solar customers with limitations we will NEVER meet any goal.
We need figure out which side is CUC and Offreg on and fix it.
All I have to add is good luck with renewables at 80-100%. Solar panels catch the wind and make great flying missiles in hurricanes. All wind farms shut down the turbines well below hurricane wind speeds, they have to lock blades so they do not turn otherwise they bend back enough in wind to clip the tower and down she all comes. I have seen the damage from tornados it is a spectacular mess. A massive battery system would be needed to store all the energy in the day cause the sun don’s shine at night. Say goodbye to your previous mangroves to make room for the fields of solar panels. It is kinda moot point anyway Cayman will be mostly under water by that time.
CUC/investor/developer/seller bot activated
Is that so?Or this is your personal opinion?
Nope not a bot, have nothing to do with CUC or seller or investor. Just someone who is in the electrical industry for 30 years and knows how a power grid works. I have worked all over the US at renewable sites and they have their own problems with how renewables are dirty power.
The inverters produce a square wave not a true sine wave so these are hard on a power grid cause appliances are expecting a true sine wave. Regulators need to be put in place to clean up the power so customers appliances do not get damaged by the dirty power. (for those how will scoff at this Google has lots of info)
Diesel generators have to constantly be ramping up and down when clouds move in the sky or if suddenly the wind dies down to keep the load up to make sure there are enough reserves for your AC units. It is not so bad when you have a massive grid like in the US but island nations struggle with it without large battery storage.
Hawaii has the same issues they want to go more green but it is difficult when you cannot have a power cable to the main land.
Bend back enough to fell the tower😁Go on give one example of that happening. Blade failures, yes, fires yes, blades severing their own support tower? Where did you get that? The little voice in your head?
Examples: these had blade failures in high wind same end for the turbine though. Not hard to find I guess you cannot use a computer very well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3tqjuvy7i0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nemy4TD4I3A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpLE2MU-AzY
Total BS. Who is going to pay all the extra money for the inefficient production of electricity from renewables?
Greetings fellow CUC bot.
The CUC shareholder has entered the chat.
No room for renewables. But plenary room to extend the Airport runway and cut through wetlands. How wonderful.
Lots of room to pour more concrete and build soaring hotels and condos.
Mandate solar for all new hotels and condos.
All well and good but whilst the distribution grid remains in CUC’s hands and kept there by its stake holders new renewable energy suppliers will prohibited from entering the fray. This new energy policy reminds me of Vision 2008 which quickly developed cataracts preventing us from seeing any positive change by 2020.
Did you actually read the paragraph in the article which states that CUC currently BUYS the power produced by the solar farm in BT, and have done so for several years? Not to mention from the small scale rooftop producers.
So CUC would be bound to buy the power created by other large scale renewal energy providers. As long as these providers have included storage batteries in their systems to cover times of reduced production, thereby allowing CUC the time to bring a generator online to make up the difference if necessary.
Yes I did, it essentially boils down to CUC buys the power at their unrealistically low rate (in collusion with OfReg of course), but there’s a catch. They have to buy into storage as well. Maybe CUC should also get into the business of selling grid scale battery storage systems too. That would fit nicely into their monopolistic strategy.
What is a realistic rate?
That’s for you and OfReg to figure out, but Cayman will be underwater before that happens.
It was a genuine question. I don’t work at CUC or OfReg, so you mean it should be part of a public consultation?
Affirmative, that would be the fair and just option instead of a clandestine, OfReg/CUC/Lodge “off the books” meeting.
Seriously? You have swallowed the CUC Kool Aid. They do nothing of substance with regard to renewable and have zero interest. The monopoly contract allows CUC to quash anything of substance. Profit comes first.
Who remembers the stranglehold Cable & Wireless had in the 90s and the relief felt when that was removed.
politicians tied up in cuc shares and what not is word in air…lol
Great. National Policy you say? Then step 1: national policy direction to CPA/DCB: No new commercial approvals without rooftop solar on them. Step 2: national policy direction to OfReg: no restriction on CORE/DER. Cabinet can do this right away & with immediate effect and really get the ball rolling.
Next problem?
If you want independence from CUC, make your mind up.
Assess your own property, make the necessary adjustments especially regarding appliance choice and insulation.
Buy a ton of batteries and learn to live frugally.
Many people have done it. Excuses don’t count.
Once you know your system, you do not sacrifice quality of life.
CUC is the only entity that has managed to keep pace with the ridiculous growth of the island we have a world class provider on both generating and T&D yes very expensive but the envy of the Caribbean per population unfortunately you get what you pay for
Stop the lip service!
Cayman or any government in the world, first has to find a replacement revenue stream from taxes collected on oil. Until then no gov will do anything. This is the exact reason why we cant this accomplished here.
Too much money to replace in the budget.
Wealth tax now
At some point along the performance continuum to non-delivery, the collusion between CUC, OfReg, conflicted MPs and Civil Servants crosses over the line into criminal obstruction…are we there? Who’s checking?