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
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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. |
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  down 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. |
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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.
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.
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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.
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? 
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.
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.
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The 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.