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More than 250 energy experts will converge on the island next week, to "put their heads together" and discuss the importance of renewable energy to the preservation of their respective government’s environmental well-being.
The Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum (CREF), slated to be held from Wednesday, October 12 to Friday, October 14, will be the highlight of Energy Week, which will begin this Sunday, October 9, with a church service at St. Michael’s Cathedral, St. Michael’s Row, St. Michael, starting at 9:00 a.m.
On Tuesday, October 11, professionals and the public will get the opportunity to visit a number of renewable energy projects.?? Energy professionals and energy enthusiasts may visit the Barbados Light and Power Company Limited in groups of 20, from 10:00 a.m. and later in the afternoon from 2:00 p.m. Further information may be obtained by contacting Mayetta King or Clovina Thorpe, at 417-3201 or by e-mailing Mayetta.king@blpc.com.bb.
Members of the public will also get an opportunity to visit Harrison Cave’s, 60.12kWp Grid Connected PV System at Sturges St. Thomas, during a tour for 20 persons starting at 10:00 a.m.?? The contact person is Cherry Walcott, who can be reached at 417-3700. Also on this day, the public can visit the Ministry of Transport and Works in groups of 20 to 30 at 10:00 a.m, and 2:00 p.m.?? Further information on this event may be obtained by contacting the Division of Energy at 434-2505.
The public will also get an opportunity to see an Anaerobic Digestion Plant in operation, during a tour for 30 persons at Farmer and Columnist, Richard Hoad’s residence, beginning at 2:00 p.m.?? Interested persons are asked to contact Mr. Hoad at 422-9083 or via e-mail lowdown@caribsurf.com.
One of the earliest proponents in the renewable energy thrust, Dr. Erskine Simmons, will show off various renewable energy sources at his Pine Gardens, St. Michael home, during a tour from 9:00 a.m. to noon.?? Persons may contact Dr. Simmons at 427-2733, 427-2732 or via e-mail doctorsimmons@hotmail.com.
There will also be all-day visits by the public to the Solar House in Queen’s Park the City and the Solid Waste Solutions Biodiesel Plant, Edgehill, St. Thomas.?? To arrange a tour of the Solid Waste Biodiesel Plant, the public can contact Tennyson Babb, at 424-8508 or by e-mailing solidwaste.solutions@gmail.com.?? To view the Solar House, persons may contact the Division of Energy at 434-2505.
The Barbados National Oil Company Limited will also open its doors to a group of 20 persons to view its 31.05kWp Grid Connected PV System.?? Further information on this visit may be obtained by contacting Felicia Cox or Richard Goddard at 420-1800.
On Wednesday, October 12, there will be a private gathering of local and regional energy ministers attending the CREF, who will discuss a range of issues from 10:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m at Hilton Barbados, Needhams Point, St. Michael. ??Later that day, there will be a private reception sponsored by the Government of Barbados for the delegates at the same venue.
The following day, Thursday, October 13, Prime Minister Freundel Stuart will deliver the feature address at 8: 20 a.m. at Hilton Barbados.?? Following?? this, there will be a?? roundtable on the topic Securing the Future – The Long-term view on Energy and Energy Policy from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. and this will be followed by?? three panel discussions from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. and from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.??
There will be a cocktail reception hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the same venue.?? During this event, the Caribbean Hotel Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Action-Advanced Programme (CHENACT-AP) will be officially launched.?? Among the signatories to this programme is Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, Hugh Riley.
The forum will wrap up on Friday, October 14, with a number of presentations on areas such as Barbados Investment Opportunities in the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Sectors. Chief Executive Officer of Invest Barbados, Wayne Kirton, Managing Director of Solar Dynamics, James Husbands, and Chairman of Williams Industries, Ralph ???Bizzy’ Williams are among the speakers slated to discuss the issue from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
There will be a session entitled Policy Debate: Bermuda and Barbados from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Among the speakers are Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Senator Darcy Boyce and Chairman of CREF, Jerry Butler.
Later that day, there will be discussions on Electric Vehicles for the Caribbean Why and How? The Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico: Energy Renewables Opportunities and A New Era of Renewable Baseload for the Caribbean: Ocean-Derived Energy.