Tag: alternative energy
CUC reports green energy use increase of 47%
(CNS): Renewable energy on the CUC grid grew by 47% last year, according to the annual report of Grand Cayman’s monopoly power provider. At the end of the year, 343 of its near 30,000 customers connected almost 5,000 kilowatts of renewable capacity with the Customer Owned Renewable Energy (CORE) programme. Along with 5MW from the […]
OfReg gives nod to CUC plan to ease off fossil fuels
(CNS): The utilities regulator, OfReg, has accepted a plan submitted by the Caribbean Utilities Company (CUC) that sets out a road-map for future energy use and a transition from a fossil fuel based portfolio to one dominated by renewable energy, introducing natural gas and increasing the storage and baseload of renewable generation technologies. The plan was prepared by […]
Branson company buys Bodden Town solar farm
(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 […]
OfReg tries to steer CUC to reward renewables
(CNS): The Utility Regulation and Competition Office (OfReg) has approved changes to Caribbean Utilities Company’s terms of service that create more choices and promote the use of renewable energy. The revisions to Grand Cayman’s monopoly power provider’s service terms impacts how consumers acquire electricity and what they pay for it. Customers can continue to consume as they always have […]
OTEC refutes OfReg CEO’s claims over cost
(CNS): Cayman OTEC International Ltd, a company proposing to build an ocean thermal energy conversion plant of the North Coast of Grand Cayman, has said the acting CEO of OfReg, Gregg Anderson, was incorrect when he told Finance Committee recently that the project rate is too high to be viable. In a press release from the company about […]
Environment loses in US mid-term vote
(CNS): Efforts by some American states to introduce conservation measures and protections were all defeated at the ballot Tuesday, making the environment a major loser despite recent warnings from dozens of scientists that the world has barely a decade to radically cut emissions of greenhouse gases before the planet reaches the point of no return. In Arizona, […]
Solar farm cuts emissions but investors lost cash
(CNS): The solar array in Bodden Town, which began generating electricity from solar panels last summer, is functioning as expected and fit for purpose, with the necessary controls and systems in place, but the investors failed to make a profit on building the plant. Some 800 homes have been fuelled by the solar energy from the […]
The CORE energy issue
A CNS reader writes: CUC recently announced, with the approval of the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA), the extension of the Consumer Owned Renewable Energy (CORE) programme. The 2MW expansion, to be split evenly between commercial and residential customers, carried an expected decrease in purchasing price, and also introduced a tiered structure reflecting the diminishing cost […]
Connolly presses CIG to act on energy policy
(CNS): Government has accepted a motion presented by the opposition MLA for George Town, Winston Connolly, to consider legislating a new energy policy to meet global standards on sustainable development and climate change, but it doesn’t appear likely to happen anytime soon. Despite a passionate debate by the former government backbencher about the desperate need […]
CUC plans CORE expansion as client base grows
(CNS): As the number of customers using solar panels and wind turbines grows, Grand Cayman’s power provider is planning another expansion of its Consumer-Owned Renewable Energy (CORE) generation initiative that allows clients to remain on the grid and feed their surplus energy back to CUC. The firm revealed that the programme is almost fully subscribed, despite […]
Connolly takes up torch for energy debate
(CNS): In the absence of any formal public debate regarding the development of a national energy policy, reducing costs and adopting more sustainable and alternative energy measures, government backbencher Winston Connolly is organizing a public summit on the matter for next month. While the responsibility for energy policy lies with cabinet minister for planning, Kurt […]
