More Research Needed In Alternative Energy

JAMAICA:  Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology, Hilary Alexander, is calling on Jamaicans, particularly students, to conduct more research in the field of alternative energy.
She said these sets of research, which may yield positive results, will augur well for the country, especially in the application of new technology, and diversifying the country’s fuel mix, which will lead to fewer oil imports.
“Many opportunities are (there) to be explored, there is much potential in this country,” the Permanent Secretary said.
Ms. Alexander was speaking at the opening ceremony for the Jamaica Alternative Energy Exposition at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, in Kingston, on April 7.
She noted that in addition to the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ), which is undertaking research in the area of biofuel, several persons are expressing an interest in renewable energy.
The Permanent Secretary said the Government is committed to moving the sector forward by advancing legislative and regulatory frameworks that will enable and sustain the growth of the industry.
“We are taking a multifaceted approach – modernising the electricity generation infrastructure, diversifying our fuel mix and strengthening regulations and the institutional arrangements, and promoting energy efficiency and conservation,” she noted.
Ms. Alexander said passage of the country’s new Electricity Act, which updated the 125-year-old Electricity Act, will also make it easier to bring new generating capacity to the power grid.
The new Act aims to provide a modern codified system for regulating the generation, transmission, supply, distribution and dispatch of electricity in the island.
“We have proceeded with implementing renewable energy solutions in the education and health sectors and we are reducing electricity consumption in the public sector by retrofitting the public sector itself,” she noted.
Ms. Alexander said the exposition has become a standard feature in the country’s energy landscape, which provides a forum for players in the market to explore new energy solution opportunities.
The Jamaica Alternative Energy Expo is organised by Events and Entertainment Limited and sponsored by the PCJ for the third consecutive year.
Approximately 40 exhibitors from local and international commercial, academic and Government entities involved in the energy industry are participating in the exposition.
The two-day event also features workshops and presentation sessions aimed at household energy consumers, business operators, students, academics and industry professionals as well as the general public.