Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Science & Technology (with Energy)

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The government has projected that within the next four years, the island's contribution from renewable sources of energy to electricity demand should be 10 per cent, and climb to 15 per cent by the year 2020.

Minister of Industry, Technology, Energy and Commerce, Phillip Paulwell, in his contribution in the 2006/2007 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives yesterday (June 20) said: "to meet the 15 per cent target by 2020, we must bring on board at least another 100 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy."

According to the Energy Minister, there were a number of opportunities for investment in the renewable energy sector, which were being explored for possible implementation. "Based on various technical studies, we estimate that another 25 to 30 MWs of electricity can be generated from six to eight mini hydro plants in Jamaica.we are now working with the Canadian International Development Agency with the Canadian government to develop site-specific studies," he informed the House.

He further disclosed that the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) was working on a comprehensive wind-mapping survey of the island to arrive at the true potential for wind energy.

Preliminary studies have indicated that the area surrounding the Wigton wind farm in Manchester, could provide the level of wind intensity for expansion by at least another 40 MegaWatts (MWs) and initiatives were being pursued to expand production at the site.

Speaking further, the Minister cited solar energy and bagasse as two other sources of renewable energy. In the case of bagasse, he informed that the PCJ had indicated that the sugar industry had the potential to provide another 50 to 60 MWs of energy to the national grid.

"Government is in the process of diversifying and expanding sugar cane production, and energy from bagasse is expected to be a major by-product of this industry," he said.

Turning to solar energy, Mr. Paulwell pointed out that consideration was being given to outfitting 6,000 to 8,000 homes in deep rural Jamaica with photovoltaic technology, in cases where it was not economically feasible to run distribution lines from the Jamaica Public Service Company's (JPSCo) system.

The Minister indicated that the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) had laid out a framework for the addition of capacity using renewable energy technologies. "This is a powerful tool in attracting new investments.the process to establish a plant and sell electricity to the national grid is now transparent.it is fair and it is predictable," he remarked.

Presently, renewable sources of energy contribute just over 12 per cent of the total energy requirements for the island, with approximately six per cent for electricity. This is comprised of 20 MWs of wind power from the Wigton wind farm, which began operations in 2004; 23 MWs of hydro from six mini hydro plants upgraded within the last seven years; and the remaining portion comes from biomass and other sources.

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