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Saint Lucia
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The Sustainable Development Science and
Technology Office of Saint Lucia and the United Nations Trust Fund on
New and Renewable Sources of Energy.
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Over the past few years,
tourism in Saint Lucia has been growing steadily. Consequently, there
has also been an increase in the use of hydrocarbon fuel to generate
electricity. For example, it is estimated that the new Hyatt Hotel under
construction will add around 7.56 per cent to the electrical demand
of the island. In response to global warming, small island states such
as Saint Lucia, which are in the greatest threat of consequences like
rising sea levels, are searching for new ways to generate electricity
in order to replace expensive and polluting imported oil. With an abundance
of sun, wind and volcanic heat, Saint Lucia became an ideal location
to test renewable energy projects. Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology
was identified as one proj-ect that could bring electricity to sites
that are either inaccessible because of mountainous terrain or have
low electricity demand, which made electrical grids too expensive to
install. In addition, it was found that solar PVs could play a useful
role in nature parks and for powering marine navigation aids along the
rocky coast. Bouton village is in an isolated location on the west coast
of Saint Lucia and according to the electricity authorities the cost
of bringing in mains electricity was estimated at $US 300,000 and no
plans existed for this purpose. A village school with a single large
hall and minor office space, which is
also used as a community center, adult teaching facility and as an emergency
hurricane shelter, exists without electricity. Lighting for this hall
was proposed in order to expand its use for evening activities. The
PV system that was proposed for this site comprised 400 WP of modules
and 300 Ah deep discharge batteries with charge controller, six 20 W
fluorescent lights, a radio and accessories. Saint Lucia’s Sustainable
Development Science and Technology Office, in conjunction with the UN
Trust Fund, successfully implemented the PV project in 1999, in which
electricity is generated directly from solar panels placed in the interior
of the island’s forest.
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• Climate change and sea level rise
(Chapter I of the Barbados Programme of Action)
• Energy resources (Chapter VII of the BPoA)
• Tourism resources (Chapter VIII of the BPoA)
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The project has brought electricity and
hence lighting to the village of Bouton, deep in the foothills of the
Pitons. Electricity generated by solar energy now means that lighting,
computers, televisions and VCRs are accessible throughout the village
and in both its school and library. The installation included:
• Solar panel sections of 200 watts each are hoisted onto the roof;
• A locking battery container made from corrosion free recycled
plastic located inside the teacher’s storage room;
• An inverter of 2,400 watts was installed, which supplies power
to standard fixtures and appliances;
• Eight double 4 feet lamp troffers with prismatic lenses in the
classroom interior, which are suspended from the ceiling to provide
IES Photometric Standards of 50 foot candles at the desk level;
• Wiring that complies with codes including plenty of switches,
wall receptacles and all wiring in conduit;
• Twenty students, including college professors, electrical engineers,
electrical and solar contractors and members of the Ministry of Finance
and Planning and the Ministry of Communications, Works, Transport and
Public Utilities, attended a comprehensive school-training programme.
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• Political willingness as a resource
in conjunction with the right physical conditions is the necessary element
to bring about a successful sustainable energy project in island states.
Although expensive to install, these solar energy cells have minimal
running costs, and they are far cheaper and environmentally safer than
running power lines through the countryside.
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Mr. Furio de Tomassi
Coordinator of the Trust Fund on
New and Renewable Sources of Energy
United Nations
Room DC1 802
New York, NY 10017, USA
Tel.: (212) 963-8343
Fax: (212) 963-1270
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