Geothermal energy is a renewable source of energy without the waste and pollution of burning fossil fuels and depleting the Earth's resources. The Caribbean is very rich in Geothermal options to extract and create electricity well beyond the means of most Islands in the Caribbean.

Two of the currently underway projects are located in Nevis and Saba, both Volcanic Islands, that show very promising productions coming online in 2008 and 2009 by far surplussing their own electricity needs.

It is shameful to see that an Island such as St. Maarten, rather invests in Diesel engines to generate electricity and will be at the mercy of oil prices and their depleting source, than to co-invest into an pollution free but foremost renewable source of energy.

Many years ago Caricom countries like St. Lucia, Dominica and Barbados already set up an energy policy with a vision for a substantial part of renewable energy which was stimulated by the World Bank. In the same time St. Maarten decided (adhoc) to invest in diesel generators but there was never a political discussion about a vision for the future. It is easy to blame the politicians but the voters in St. Maarten are in general happy if a commissioner can do a personal favor for them in stead of a community favor. We should have had an energy policy many years ago as result of a fierce battle in the Island Council, but for some reason there is not enough commitment to these kind of important community developments.

 Now we have suddenly a chance and the board of Gebe and politicians keep quite and do not even have the decency to respond to this company, who requested in May 2008 Gebe to look into joining them and buy this relatively cheap and clean energy. It would have been logical to join Saba in their research into this source and then take a decision.  It could even be decided to have partly geothermal energy and the rest solar and wind. But it is not that easy because Gebe and (thus) the Government maneuvered themselves in a very difficult position  as they bought (against advise of all kind of reports from reputable institutions)  these expensive generators. During the Eco-Expo Kerry Mcdonald told the audience (unfortunately no politicians present) that St. Maarten could lose an important connection if they do not decide soon as his company will prepare a different kind of connection when only the French Side joins the project. See for yourself what it is about by downloading the following powerpoint presentation.

Download here (25 MB)

Joan Smart-Berkel opens Caribbean Foundation for Sustainability Environmental Expo

Written by State Secretary of Health, Joan Smart-Berkel
Saturday, 07 June 2008
www.sxmislandtime.com

PHILIPSBURG - The following is the full speech given by the State Secretary of Health, Joan Smart-Berkel at the opening of the Caribbean Foundation for Sustainability Environmental Expo on Saturday morning at the Emilio Wilson Park.

Good Morning, Leader of Government Mrs. Sarah Wescott-Williams, Mr. Jan Beaujon. Manager W.I. Bank, invited guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.

In the first place I would like to comment the organizers of this first Eco-Expo. Events like these are important to create awareness to the different issues concerning our environment and we must be honest: public awareness is the precursor to political attention and action. Today I have been so, so amazed after driving in the Mercedes Benz that run on cooking oil

When the United Nations established World Environment Day in 1972, one of our primary concerns now, Climate Chang” was hardly mentioned at that time. Instead there were concerns on Limits of Growth with discussions on when certain resources would run out.

However we will probably not easily run out of some resources, but as you can see now the demands for one of our major resources in the would is starting to be out stripped. So for further economic growth we need to change our strategies.

We all know the cause of climate change and global warming and we know the consequences. Imagine a sea level just a few decimeters higher and a hurricane just a little bit stronger that what we had in hurricane Luis and Lenny: The Great Salt Pond would not only become part of Philipsburg, but could reach as far as Cul-de-Sac.
The time has come for us as a society to start adapting our planning our building codes and stop building these huge buildings so close to our shoreline.

Adaptation to climate change is needed, but we also need to avoid excessive consequences by drastic reduction.

The time has come for us to look at alternative energy sources, but simply economizing will still be necessary. In this regard the current increase in the cost of oil products should be considered an opportunity to increase our futures and present quality of life.

The slogan for this world environmental day is: CO2, Kick the Habit. Towards a Low Carbon Economy”
It is time for us to treat this as you would any other addiction. If we simply change our frame of mind, we can easily reduce our carbon emissions and improve our quality of life at the same time:
For example. We live on an island with a balmy climate; still we sometimes want to mimic the dress code of colder regions, regarding them chic and in fashion. Don’t you think the time has come for us to adjust our formal dress code accordingly?

With our constant traffic jams it would be better to implement the use of smaller cars which would assist in making the lines seem shorter and it could assist in fewer traffic jams.
We could start walking more, which would contribute to a healthier St. Maarten and give us a better environment to live in a pass on to our future generation.

In closing I would once again like to commend the organizers for this event and it was great driving in our new environment friendly vehicle. I thank you

Great news for Gainesville residents in Florida now they are preparing the adoption of the same feed in structure as Germany which made them the leaders in the solar business. This means that the utility company is buying electricity at a fixed rate of USD 0.32 for 20 years from the residents who have invested in solar panels and produce more then they consume at a given time. More info on the site of the utility company. The Germans have shown that this is a very easy and effective way to promote alternative energy. This would be a great system for Caribbean Islands as there are no other ways of funding available.(source Treehugger.com)

As it finally begins to dawn in many countries that energy saving is one of the keywords to tackle not only climate change but also the high energy prices Japan  seems to have learned this lesson in the seventies and began to develop an energy efficient economy. In the New York times this article was released on the 4th of July 2008. St. Maarten could become also an important hub for these kind of developments but then our political leaders have to wake up fast and do something with this important diversification opportunity and start working on incentives to promote a sustainable development on the island. The tax legislation could be an important tool to promote energy efficiency. We could just embrace the energy star program that promotes appliances that are energy efficient which means that people will become more aware of the energy consumption and businesses will then import more energy friendly appliances. The government has to become aware of their important role in this community and start promoting these developments actively. I know from sources that for example the new airport is using an enormous amount of energy to keep it (very) cool but due to the fact that there is no expertise they are wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars (which will be paid by?) It is one of the many examples that show that St. Maarten has a very long way to go before issues like this will be tackled by government representatives.

 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/04/world/asia/04japan.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

"KUMAGAYA, Japan — With its towering furnaces and clanging conveyer belts carrying crushed rock, Taiheiyo Cement’s factory looks like an Industrial Revolution relic. But it is actually a model of modern energy efficiency, harnessing its waste heat to generate much of its own electricity. The Keihin mill captures heat and gases to generate power. Engineers from China and elsewhere in Asia come to study its design, which has allowed the company to slash the amount of power it buys from the grid.

The plant is just one example of Japan’s single-minded dedication to reducing energy use, a commitment that dates back to the oil shocks of the 1970s that shook this resource-poor nation.

Now, with oil prices hitting dizzying levels and the world struggling with global warming, the country is hoping to use its conservation record to take a rare leadership role on a pressing global issue. It will showcase its efforts to export its conservation ethic — and its expensive power-saving technology — at next week’s meeting in Japan of the Group of 8 industrial leaders.

“Superior technology and a national spirit of avoiding waste give Japan the world’s most energy-efficient structure,” Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said in a speech outlining his agenda for the meeting. Japan “wants to contribute to the world,” he said."