Office of the Governor  
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-- Bringing new ideas on renewable energy and energy efficiency to the Virgin Islands 
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Energy Office
45 Estate Mars Hill
Frederiksted, VI, 00840
Telephone 340.773.1082
Fax 340.772.0063


St. Thomas Office
Cyril E. King Airport Terminal
Telephone 774-3320
Fax 714-9531
 

 
   

Winds of Change for the VI

The Energy Office will hold public hearings regarding the drafting of new regulations for permitting wind turbines. The hearings will be held in the Senate Chambers on each Island from 6 to 8:30 p.m.  The hearing on St. John will be Jan. 26. On St. Thomas the hearings will be Jan 27. On St. Croix the hearings will be Jan 28.
    Interested individuals are welcome to address the hearings. Each speaker will be given three minutes during the hearings.
     Printed copies of the draft are available for public review at the Energy Office and territory libraries. For more information call Carl Joseph at 774-3320, extension 6109. To view draft small wind regulations, click her; large wind regulations, click here, and for application procedure, click here.

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At a ceremony Jan. 7, 2010, at Government House in Christiansted, St. Croix, USVI, 26 young men and women became the first to complete the new green technologies training program. The 26 underwent 363 hours of training over 20 weeks. The Virgin Islands Source Internet newspeaper posted the above video on youtube.

The U.S. Virgin Islands Comprehensive Energy Strategy Plan is complete. To view highlights of the report funded through Grant PA-VI-2008-1, a technical assistant grant from the Office of Insular Affairs, Department of Interior, click here. For a complete copy of the strategy click here.

Energy Accepting ARRA Grant Applications

The Energy Office is set to process applications from non-profit organizations which have energy savings projects that need funding. The first group of applications will be considered in March, 2010.
       workshopThe projects will be funded under the Energy Office’s Discretionary Grant Program which in turn is utilizing funds available from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009. Approved projects will receive up to $50,000 in funding. The Energy Office, a division of the Office of the Governor, set the foundation for this ramped up version of its Discretionary Grant Program with workshops in November on St. Thomas and St. Croix. Over 50 local organizations sent representatives to the workshops.
        The program will run until March 2012 or until funds are exhausted. Specific projects mentioned in the grant application include building retrofits, solar/wind outdoor lighting, and energy education outreach. The program goals are energy savings and job creation -- two key things that the Territory could use at this time.
        Interested Non-Profit Organizations are reminded to initiate the process by obtaining a Duns number at www.dnb.com . Successful applicant will have to commit five percent (5%) in matching funds or an equivalent in-kind contribution to the project.
        The actual grant application can be downloaded from the menubar at the top of this page.  For any additional information please call Joseph Daniel at 774-3320 Ext. 6108 on St. Thomas

Energy Office Extending, Expanding Rebates
        Governor John P. deJongh, Jr. announced Dec. 2 that the Virgin Islands Energy Office is poised to begin its third rebate program funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
        This program, slated to begin before the new year, is focused on the replacement of inefficient dishwashers and freezers with energy efficient ones.DeJongh said Wednesday that the Department of Energy on Dec. 1 approved funding for the new program. DOE is to award the Virgin Island $104,000 for it. “The DOE website says that 56 states and territories submitted plans for the program known as the State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, but so far less than half of those have been approved.
       
The Virgin Islands was one of the first to be approved.”The Energy Office has never offered rebates on dishwashers and freezers before.
        The program will also include certain heat pumps and gas tankless water heaters.

Energy Office Sets Workshops for V. I. Builders and Bankers
The Virgin Islands Energy Office is holding Developers Incentives Workshops to help developers, builders, architects, and bankers develop practices to cut energy consumption in new and renovated buildings.
       The workshops will be presented by JDM Associates, a sustainability consultant company, with offices in Washington D.C. and St. Thomas. The workshops will include discussions on what it means to have a Green Building, new technologies in energy efficiency, tax credits/incentives, mortgages for Green Buildings, and the financial aspects of renewable energy and energy efficiency.
       The first workshop is scheduled for Oct. 21 from 9  a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Oct. 22 from   9 a.m. to noon at the Windward Passage Hotel on St. Thomas. The second workshop will be on St. Croix on Oct. 28 from  9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Oct. 29  from 9 a.m. to noon at the Cardiac Care Center at the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital on St. Croix.
       The workshops are part of the observance of October as Energy Awareness Month as proclaimed by President Barack Obama. The national theme for the month is  A Sustainable Energy Future; Putting All the Pieces Together
For more information or to register for the free workshop call the Virgin Islands Energy Office, a division of the Governor’s Office, at 773-1082 on St. Croix,  and 774-3320 on St. Thomas and St. John.

Energy Office Extending, Expanding Rebates
The Virgin Islands Energy Office is finalizing its plans for expanded rebate and grant programs which will be kicking off shortly.

However, it is not ready to abandon its 2008-2009 Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Rebate Program and the Energy Star Appliance Rebate Program yet.  All purchases made from August 1, 2009 until the beginning of the 2009-2010 programs will be honored. Specific program rules and requirements remain applicable, and purchases must be made from 2008-2009 certified rebate vendors.  Completed applications must be submitted to the VIEO within 30 days of the purchase date to be eligible for the rebate.

On the immediate horizon are programs utilizing funds received under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. These programs will offer an expanded/ramped-up rebate and discretionary grant program, and a newly awarded Weatherization Assistance Program. Details are now being finalized and will shortly be available at the Energy Office website – www.vienergy.org.
According to the Energy Office, the effort is to make the programs as attractive as possible to Virgin Island residents. However, federal regulations limit the percentage for rebates and to whom grants can be made.
The discretionary grant program will support energy efficiency or alternative energy projects. However, through the Weatherization Assistance Program, energy efficiency measures will be available to low-income families. This program is for those who are particularly vulnerable such as the elderly, persons with disabilities, and families with children.
Available is about $31 million dollars for formula based grants. The funds are divided in three categories – State Energy Program, $20.7 million; Weatherization Assistance Program, $1.4 million; Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grants, $9.6 million.
The Energy Office’s goals under the State Energy Program are:

  • Increase energy efficiency to reduce energy costs and consumption for consumers, businesses and government
  • Reduce reliance on imported fuels
  • Improve the reliability of electricity and fuel supply and the delivery of energy services
  • Reduce the impacts of energy production and use on the environment

The Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grants will focus on the development and implementation of energy efficiency practices in the territory. The proposed projects include traffic signals upgrade, wind and solar energy generation, street lighting program upgrade, landfill gas conversion, and solar powered bus shanties and flashers in school zones.
For more information call the Energy Office, a division of the Governor’s Office, at 773-1082 on St. Croix or 774-3320 on St. Thomas or St. John.

 

Energy Schedules Public Hearings on Stimulus Funds

       The Virgin Islands Energy Office is holding three public hearings to inform residents about funds received under American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  The U.S. Department of Energy has made available about $31 million dollars for formula based grants.
       The funds are divided in three categories – State Energy Program, $20.7 million; Weatherization Assistance Program, $1.4 million; Energy Efficiency Conservation Block grants, $9.6 million.
       The hearings will be held on each of the main islands in their respective senate buildings from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. St. Croix hearing is May 5. St. Thomas is May 6 and St. John is May 7. A short presentation will be made and then Energy Office staff will be available to answer questions.
The stimulus act which gives preference to activities that can be started and completed expeditiously has several goals

  • To preserve and create jobs and promote recovery
  • To assist those most impacted by the recession
  • To provide investments needed to increase economic efficiency by spurring technological advances in energy

       The purpose of the Weatherization Assistance Program is to increase the energy efficiency of dwellings owned or occupied by low-income persons, reduce their total residential expenditures, and improve their health and safety.  The priority population for the Weatherization Assistance Program is persons who are particularly vulnerable such as the elderly, persons with disabilities, families with children, high residential energy users, and households with low incomes.
       The goals under the State Energy Program are

  • Increase energy efficiency to reduce energy costs and consumption for consumers, businesses and government
  • Reduce reliance on imported energy
  • Improve the reliability of electricity and fuel supply and the delivery of energy services
  • Reduce the impacts of energy production and use on the environment

       The Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grants will focus on the development and implementation of energy efficiency practices. This effort will include building audits, financial incentives, grants to government and non-profit agencies, and programs to conserve energy in transportation.
This is the first year the Virgin Islands has been eligible for grant money under the Weatherization program. It is expected that funding will continue on an annual basis. However, the rest of the funds are just a one-time effort.
       Anyone wishing for more information about the hearings are asked to call the Virgin Islands Energy Office, a division of the Governor’s Office, at 773-1082 on St. Croix or 774.3320 on St. Thomas or St. John.

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Leila Muller, of the Virgin Islands Energy Office, at the Eco-Fair on St. Croix.

Island residents celebrate the bounty of the Earth

In April 2009 in the Virgin Islands there was not one, but three Earth Days. In a sign of the times, as more people are becoming concerned about the environment, all three celebrations showed high pariticpation.
       On April 17, the University of Virgin Islands St. Thomas campus was full of youngsters attending the 5th Annual Pro-Enviro Fair. It featured a game show "Who Wants to be and Environmentalist."
       On April 20 the action was on St. John. Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park sponsored the Environmental Fair at the National Ball Park in Cruz Bay.
       St. Croix outdid her sister islands by celebrating Earth Day two days and in two different places. The most important event for students was the Eco Fair at St. George's Botanical Gardens on April 22 and April 23. This event always attracts about a thousand youngsers.A more serious event was held on the St. Croix UVI campus where the U.S. Environmental Agency sponsored an Earth Day Conference.
       Carl-Axel Soderberg, regional director for the EPA, led off that program with a presentation highlighting many facts about the Virgin Islands. One of the more shocking facts he stated was that per capita the Virgin Islands is emitting six times the Greenhouse Gases that the United States is.
       In his presentation, Don Buchanan, of the Energy Office, pointed out that the new administration in Washington has declared that Greenhouse Gases are a serious pollutant. he added that emitting Greenhouse Gases is going to become much costlier soon when either a carbon tax or a cap and trade system is initiated.

 

Hospital to Demonstrate Savings From Solar

    Jan. 15, 2009 -- The Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital and Cardiac Care Center will soon demonstrate how the use of alternative energy can bring caldown water and electric bills.
    The Virgin Islands Energy Office, a division of the governor’s office, has signed an agreement with the hospital to give the hospital a grant of $200,000 to build a 30 kW photovoltaic system. The Energy Office is adding to the cash donation a donation of solar panels valued at another $200,000.
    Gov. John P. DeJongh presented the check to Gregory Calliste, CEO of Juan F. Luis Hospital, during a press conference on Jan. 15 at the new Cardiac Care Center. “This gift signifies the tremendous importance and high priority that my Administration places in seeking creative avenues to highlight our collective actions as one government in decreasing overall energy costs in the Territory through the use of clean energy. This endeavor is the first project of its kind in the Territory and signals the vision of the Government Demand Reduction Program in seeking workable solutions to reduce overall operating costs for government facilities. In continuance of our goal to reduce government utility consumption 20 percent by 2012, I am pleased to extend this gift in cooperation with the VI Energy Office of $200,000 in grant money and $200,000 in photovoltaic (solar) panels,” de Jongh said.
    The Hospital for its part agrees to assist the Energy Office by demonstrating to other government agencies and departments the benefits of alternative energy and energy efficiency technology. The hospital communication methods will include brochures, tours of the facility, and involvement in discussions on energy issues. The hospital is also responsible for monitoring the cost saving it receives from the installation.
    In receiving the check, Calliste said that the hospital recognizes its responsibility to lower its Water and Power Authority bill through energy efficiency and use of alternative energy as much as possible. He said the hospital would do everything in its power to make the project successful.
Energy Office Director Bevan R. Smith Jr. said this project was just one of the many efforts that the Energy Office was making to help the government agencies bring down their WAPA bills.
     “Although oil prices are presently down, we don’t want to be lulled into a sense of complacency. The Energy Office is forging ahead to help residents and the government cut down on the use of fossil fuel,” said Smith.
    The hospital is getting five hundred, 60-watt solar panels from the Energy Office. The hospital will be required to contribute cash or in-kind services to the project. This contribution will cover other system components such as racks and inverters.

St. Croix Towns Get Efficient Lights

The St. Croix Foundation teamed with the V.I. Energy Office to help efficiently light up the downtowns of Frederiksted and Christiansted. NR Electric, the contractor for the job, is installing this month the last of 50 fixtures in the lighting project in the downtown areas.stennet
Roger Dewey, executive director of the St. Croix Foundation, said along with energy efficiency, beautification and safety for residents were big considerations in doing the project. St. Croix Historic Preservation Office was brought in during the early stages of the project, which was funded with $20,000 from the Energy Office Discretionary Grant program and $4,000 in matching funds from the St. Croix Foundation.
     The lights are not designed to go on poles but instead have been specifically designed to be placed on the ceilings of the arcade walkways that line most of Frederiksted and Christiansted's downtown streets. The fixture is designed in such a way as to send light up to be reflected down. The design is to diffuse light in a way pleasant to the eye and also in a way that makes the fixture almost invisible. Another key positive, according to Dewey, is that the lights will only cost about four cents a night to burn.
     Dewey said, before the Foundation would install the fixtures on downtown buildings, owners had to commit to leaving the lights on during the night.
     Part of the impetus of the project was the volunteer work of St. Croix resident Ray Grenald.  Grenald, who designed and donated some fixtures, has worked on lighting projects in Washington, D.C., including one at the White House and another at the Supreme Court.
The fixtures were installed on buildings on King, Strand and Company streets in Christiansted and King and Strand streets in Frederiksted.Myron Jackson, director of the Preservation Office, said at a press conference announcing the project, when the lights are installed, "People's instinctual feelings about downtown will change. They will want to be downtown in the evening. They will feel safe."
     For information about the St. Croix Foundation call 773-9898; for the Energy Office call 773-1082.

 

Global Warming a Concern for Virgin Islanders

Aug. 25, 2008 -- V.I. residents, government officials, and environmental organizations have taken the threat of Global Warming seriously. The V.I. Energy Office, in the spring of 2007, in conjunction with the V.I. Water and Power Authority, started showing the movie An Inconvenient Truth at various venues in the territory.
    The Energy Office followed the showings with presentations to students and also to community organizations such as the Rotary Clubs on St. Thomas and St. John and a territorial realtor’s association meeting. Virgin Islands PBS Channel 12 presented a program Graffiti Street dedicated to Global Warming.
   The St Croix Environmental Association has also been active in promoting events calling attention to problems associated with Global Warming. The Energy Office plans to have more educational presentations on Global Warming in October. Any school or organization interested in such a presentation or a showing of a film is asked to call the Energy Office at 773.1082 or email dbuchanan@vienergy.org.
    In June,three dozen St. Croix residents gathered at the University of Virgin Islands Great Hall to hear opinions on how the Global Warming problem should be solved. They all agreed the issue needed more public focus. They discussed becoming part of the World Wildlife Fund's Climate Witness Programme.
    On Feb. 2, 2007, the United Nations scientific panel studying climate change declared that the evidence of a warming trend is "unequivocal," and that human activity has "very likely" been the driving force in that change over the last 50 years.
According to the New York Times, “The addition of that single word "very" did more than reflect mounting scientific evidence that the release of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases from smokestacks, tailpipes and burning forests has played a central role in raising the average surface temperature of the earth by more than 1 degree Fahrenheit since 1900. It also added new momentum to a debate that now seems centered less over whether humans are warming the planet, but instead over what to do about it.”
    Virgin Islanders have special concerns about Global Warming. Rising sea levels could have a dramatic effect on sea side homes and businesses and rising ocean temperatures could negatively affect the health of local coral reefs.
Already the coral reefs are in trouble.  A report issued by the World Conservation Union earlier this year says the problem became critically apparent in 2005 when coral bleaching hit Caribbean reefs hard. The report indicates that year was the warmest ever recorded.
Over 50 percent of the coral died in four sites reviewed by the National Park Service. 
In June 2007, a group of experts at the St. Thomas UVI campus called Global Warming an “uncontrolled experiment” which could have disastrous results for the Virgin Islands. They pointed out that the death of coral reefs would not only hurt the economy of the islands but it would hurt the overall health of many ocean species up the food chain.
    For more information about Global Warming, one can scroll down on this page and see a presentation by Al Gore.


Energy Office Wins Award From SEA

      The St. Croix Environmental Association awarded its Good Government Award for 2007 to the V.I. Energy Office at its annual meeting in November at the Buccaneer Hotel and Resort on St. Croix.award

      Carol Cramer-Burke, program manager for 500 member organization, in presenting the award, said that the Energy Office has worked hard in the last year promoting good environmental policy. She emphasized the Energy Office’s rebate program for residents who invest in alternative energy and the Junior Solar Sprint program which helps teach students about solar power.

      She also pointed out that the Energy Office, a division of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, during the last year had partnered with SEA in showing environmental films free to residents at the University of Virgin Islands.

      She said, “We have enjoyed working to with the Energy Office this year and look forward to working with the office in the future.”  She added, after the meeting that SEA which was organized in 1986 does not present a Good Government Award every year. She explained, “We award it only when we see an agency that warrants special attention for its environmental action and programs and the Energy Office definitely fits that description.”

      Paul Chakroff, SEA new managing director, presented the award to the Energy Office Don Buchanan. Buchanan said, “The Energy Office enjoyed working with SEA and we too look for more future partnerships.”

May Cornwall, executive director of the V.I. Waste Management Authority, gave the keynote speech at the meeting. Also speaking was Richard Smullen, vice president of environmental health and safety at Hovensa.

      Carlos Tesitor and Ditty Layton were recognized  for their years of service with SEA and. Lisa Yntema won the Environmentalist of the Year award, but was not present to receive it.

 

Connections to sizing forms, reports, presentations, and recent news articles
The U.S. Department of Interior gathered information from various Virgin Island agencies last summer and then compiled an Energy Assessment report. The report contained many recommendations for switching to alternative energy sources on the islands. The report can be read by clicking here.

If you are interested in going solar, you can click here and go to a site which will help you determine was size system you need. The Energy Office has conducted year-long wind assessment studies on St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas. For the results of the first six months click here. For the addendum click here.

Can a home wind turbine make money? turbine

Click here to read BBC article

The New York Times recently published an article surveying various books on Global Warming. The article, entitled How Close to Catastrophe?, can be read by clicking here.

The V.I. Energy Office Director Bevan R. Smith Jr. made a presentation to the V.I Public Services Commission on the need for Net Metering on the islands. To see his typed notes for that presentation click here. To see his slide presentation, Click here. (This is a large file that may take several minutes to download)

Energy Speakers Available

The V.I. Energy Office has speakers available for community organization meetings and for school classrooms.
The speakers can talk on a variety subjects – energy efficiency, solar power, wind energy, net metering, lowering your WAPA bill, and global warming.
If your group or your class would like to schedule a speaker please call 773.1082 on St. Croix or 774.3320 on St. John or St. Thomas. You can also make a request by clicking here and e-mailing Patricia Lord, Program Administrator, or calling her at ext 2251 at the St. Croix office.

 

Four solar systems certified to supply electricity to WAPA, see Daily News story --

Energy alternatives get powerful boost

Leonardo Dicaprio has made a film on Global Warming. Go to this web site to see it.

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The road show

The Energy Office takes its show on the road often. Displays include a solar system that produces energy and also a lot of information about wind and energy efficiency.

Signs of the Future

On Nov. 18, 2006, the New York Times published an article about the passage of the first carbon tax. Two days later the Washington Post published an article A Sunnier Forecast for Solar Energy. Readers who follow the above links might notice a trend here.

Welcome to the Virgin Islands Energy Office web site

The site contains information on renewable energy and energy efficient programs implemented in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Documents are also available here for downloading so the web site can serve as a tool for Virgin Islanders attempting to remedy the adverse effects of the skyrocketing cost of petroleum.The site links residents to opportunities through the Energy Office, the U.S. Department of Energy and its partnering agencies to improve the quality of life on the islands.

 

 

To sign up for the Energy Office's newsletter just click here and send an e-mail.

To visit our featured site this summer and calculate your savings when you install a solar water heater, click here.