The BVI Electricity Corporation is implementing an initiative to bring solar energy to more Virgin Islands households, Communications and Works Minister Kye Rymer announced during a press conference last Thursday.
Through the Solar Technology Energy Programme, also known as STEP, homeowners will be able to have a grid-tie solar system installed at no upfront cost, according to the minister.
“BVIEC will purchase the equipment and cover the installation cost,” Mr. Rymer said. “This will significantly reduce the cost of electricity generation, particularly as it relates to imported fuel. The savings, so to speak, will be directed to recovering the setup cost. When the setup cost is paid off, the savings would then be directed to the customer and would be seen in a lower bill total and/or credits.”
Mr. Rymer added that it is expected to take about a year and eight months to pay off the initial set-up cost.
Currently, only about 0.6 megawatts is produced by alternative means in the territory, which has a peak load of about 35 megawatts, BVIEC General Manager Dr. Neil Smith said at the press conference.
Duty-free importer
A current challenge with expanding solar-energy production, Dr. Smith said, is that “individuals who need these systems generally cannot afford it.”
The new programme will help change that, according to Mr. Rymer.
“BVIEC purchases the components for the grid-tie system wholesale, and due to its status as a duty-free importer, the BVIEC should be able to procure the components and have them on site in the BVI at the lowest cost possible,” the minister said.
Homeowners, he added, could ultimately see savings of more than 40 percent on their power bills.
Interested homeowners can go to the BVIEC website to fill out a survey.
“The survey will be used to determine the level of interest in the initiative such that BVIEC can order the right amount of components,” Mr. Rymer said.
Past challenges
Though residents have long been able to use solar panels and other forms of renewable energy as back-up sources of power, it was not until the BVIEC Ordinance was amended in 2015 that they were allowed to feed energy back into the grid through a grid-tie system.
Another three years would pass before new regulations came online to facilitate the process. But those regulations stipulated that only electricians with a special certification would be allowed to make the connection between home and grid.
However, few electricians in the territory at the time had the needed certification, known as a class E licence.