Virgin Islands ucpming events relating to energy efficiency, rnewable energy and energy conservation

The Wind Workshop put on by the V.I. Energy Office at the end of January on St. Thomas made it perfectly clear how serious local residents are about utilizing alternative energy.
      Dwight Baily, one of the leaders of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Windpowering in America team, said, “This is something else. We have never seen anything like this.”
      Over 200 residents paid to attend. The Energy Office originally planned for 60 to 80 attendees. The workshop had to be moved to one of the larger rooms at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort. Bevan Smith, director the Energy Office, said historically, the Energy Office generally only gets thirty to forty attendees at such workshops. Governor John deJongh gave opening remarks and stayed to attend the first half of the full day workshop.
      The presentations, made by wind experts from the Department of Energy, are now available by clicking on presentations. When you arrive at the web location, right click on the file you wish to download.

The Energy Office, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is presenting an opportunity for residents to learn about wind power’s potential. All residents are invited to the Wind Energy Workshop at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort on St. Thomas on Jan. 31.

The day-long workshop will include experts from the U.S. Department of Energy Wind Powering America, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Sandia National Laboratories and a Caribbean wind farm expert.
Governor John deJongh and Bevan Smith, director the Energy Office, will give opening remarks at 8:30 a.m.
An overview of the workshop will be given by Dwight Bailey. Bailey is Project Manager of DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh, PA. He provides financial assistance, program information, and technical assistance to state and local governments, and public and private organizations in the Eastern part of the United States for the U.S. DOE Wind Powering America Program. Workshop topics will include:

     --Commercial Wind Technology
     --Current Wind Technology Applications
     --Validated Wind Map for the U.S. Virgin Islands
     --Avian Issues in the Virgin Islands
     --Small Wind Opportunities in the Virgin Islands
     --Caribbean Wind Projects

     In the last year, with the increase in electrical rates, many residents have invested in wind technology or are considering doing so. The VIEO has been urging residents to be cautious when making such investments. Director Smith has said that wind can be a valuable source of alternative energy, but only under the right conditions.
     Larry Flowers, of NREL, will talk about current wind technology. He has been with NREL for the past 27 years. Since 1990, he has been a team leader at NREL’s National Wind Technology Center in Boulder, Colo. His current assignment is the National Technical Director of Wind Powering America, a DOE program launched in 1999 to dramatically increase the deployment of wind in the United States.
     Dennis Elliott, a lead researcher in wind resource at NREL’s National Wind Technology Center, will speak about the wind map.   He has led the development and validation of new high-resolution wind resource maps for more than 30 U.S. states for the Wind Powering America initiative. He has also led the development of wind resource maps for various countries of the world through projects supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development, United Nations Environment Programme, and other clients. In addition, he has conducted studies in other areas of wind characterization such as offshore assessment, wind shear and tall-tower analyses at elevated heights to 100-m+, and refined methods for assessing wind potential. He has published many papers, often with other team members in the wind resource group, including articles in the Encyclopedia of Energy.
     Jose Zayas, the program manager of the Wind Energy Technology Department at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, will speak about commercial wind technology. He has been at Sandia since 1996. His areas of expertise include active aerodynamic flow control, sensors, dynamic modeling, composite analysis, and data acquisition systems.
     Phil Dougherty, Acting Manager for the Department of Energy’s Wind and Hydropower Program, will speak about wind experiences in the Virgin Islands. He also serves as national director of Wind Powering America. He leads a nationwide government team that works with national, state and local stakeholders across the energy, agricultural and environmental sectors. He also leads an inter-agency task force to address wind-siting issues that could affect critical federal mission areas.
     Margo Guda, of the Antiyano Foundation of Energy, will speak about Caribbean Wind Projects. She is affiliated with the wind farm on Curacao.
     Onaje Jackson, of Sustainable Systems and Design International on St. Croix, will talk about avian issues in the Virgin Islands.
     Registration for the workshop is $25. A registration form can be found by clicking here.
     To get more information, residents should call 774-3320, extension 6133, or send an email to jdaniel@vienergy.org.

Staff Talks Energy to Potential Homeowners at First Bank
June 19, 2007 -- The V.I. Energy Office staff participated in the "Homeownership Expos" held on St. Thomas and St. Croix in June.
The events were sponsored by First Bank and focused on providing information and assistance to those about to become homeowners in the Virgin Islands. expo

Joseph Daniel, Energy Operations Coordinator on St. Thomas, said that more than 50 people came to the Energy Office's table set up at First Bank's waterfront branch on June 9. He said most of the question he and fellow staff members –Kasim Andrews, Idita Matthew Peters, and Kendall Sanderson – fielded were about energy efficiency. He added, "Certainly, there were a number of questions about alternative energy too – solar and wind."
Don Buchanan, who, along with Leila Muller, manned the Energy Office information table at the Orange Grove branch of First Bank on St. Croix on June 23, said the St. Croix numbers were similar to those experienced in Charlotte Amalie. He added, "Many people now know when purchasing a home that energy costs are an important consideration."
This was the 11th annual expo sponsored by First Bank. The Energy Office has been a regular participant.
Besides the Energy Office, eleven other exhibitors were on hand at Orange Grove to answer questions from potential home buyers. Seminars were given on How to Qualify for a Mortgage and credit evaluations were also conducted. To read a story from Source about the Expo on St. Croix, click here.

Energy Rebates Outlined at Island Fairs
    Island residents learned how they could get money back for energy efficient practices at Energy Rebate Fairs in May. The Energy Office held the fairs on St. Croix and on St. Thomas. If you did not have a chance to make the St. Croix fair you can view a film clip. Broadband click here. Dialup click here. For St. Thomas vendors, broadband click here. dialup click here.
     The St. Croix Fair on May 5 was in the Sunny Isle parking lot near Wendy's. The St. Thomas fair on May 12 was at Tutu Park Mall.
     The fairs ran from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and will included displays of energy efficient appliances as well as alternative energy products. If you are thinking about getting into net metering -- sending power to WAPA instead of just buying if from the utility-- now is the time to see what is out there. The above films are good introductions to the vendors

March 29, 2007 -- Two dozen people attended a ceremony March 23 which honored a St. Thomas family for its future contribution to energy efficiency and a St. Croix family for its past contributions.
In the Department of Natural Resources conference room on St. Thomas, the Elskoe family was presented the Vincent D. George Light the Way award. The award has been presented annually since 2001 to an individual, business or organization that shows innovative achievement in energy efficiency or the use of alternative energy.
Laurie Thomas-Jacobs, Administrative Assistant at the Energy Office, gave a brief biography of George. Light the Way

George worked at the Energy Office from 1987 until his death in 2000 as the Energy Education Program Coordinator. He was instrumental in developing that program. He was also the person responsible for expanding Energy Education Day to the present Virgin Island Energy Education Week.
Thomas-Jacobs said, “Vincent loved his job. He enjoyed being with what he considered his main audience -- the children.”
His parents, Reginald and Virginia George, were present at the event and received praise and a gift fruit basket for their support of the Energy Office.
During the presentation, Bevan R. Smith, Jr., Director of the Energy Office, which is a division of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, said, “We regard the George’s as the First Family of Energy. They have been with us through all our trials and tribulations while Vince was with us and after he was gone.”
The Elskoe family, doing business as Wintdots Development, is building the Flagberry Hill development which includes six villas and 60 condominiums. The development is using an energy efficient design, solar power and wind when possible. The plan for the development was announced last year.
Aaron Martin, construction manager of Turner International, talked how the construction company would use sustainable development techniques. Turner was recognized by President William Clinton for its commitment to “Green” buildings.
Smith spoke highly of the planned development. He pointed out developers who include energy efficiency and alternative energy in original design phase, not only benefit the environment but they save a lot of money.
Members of the family attending the event included Glenn, president of Wintdots, Dorothy, vice president of Wintdots, and Sandyl Elskoe. Former Senator Almando "Rocky" Liburd, part of the extended family, spoke for the family. He said “times have changed” and he sees solar energy projects playing a bigger part in the Virgin Islands energy mix
Alicia Barnes, Assistant Commissioner, spoke as a representative of the DPNR. She said it was her first public appearance in her new position.
Smith also noted that this was the last function Thomas-Jacobs would be performing as an employee of the Energy Office. She had taken a new position as Executive Administrative Officer in the Office of the Commissioner Robert Mathes.
Julio Petersen III, a student at the University of the Virgin Islands, sang the National Anthem and the Virgin Islands March.
The award, started in 2001 by Victor Somme III, former energy office director, was presented in conjunction with this year’s Energy Education Week. Other events during the week were public screenings of Al Gore’s Oscar Award winning film – An Inconvenient Truth -- and school presentations.

Hundreds at Global Warming Events
March 26, 2007 -- More than 300 Virgin Island residents took the opportunity to view the Oscar award winning documentary– An Inconvenient Truth -- during Virgin Islands Energy Education Week.

The V.I. Energy Office and the Water and Power Authority teamed up to present free screenings at Pistarkle Theater on St. Thomas, University of Virgin Islands on St. Thomas and Caribbean Community Theater on St. Croix.
To emphasize the screenings, Waste Management Authority helped kick off the week by sponsoring the showing of the actual slide show on which the movie was based. About 80 people attended the event at the new amphitheater in Sunny Isle Shopping Center.
And then with each event the numbers grew.
The final showing at Caribbean Community Theater drew over 150 people.
Unfortunately, a few people had to be turned away at the UVI showing in Chase Auditorium because it was a full house.
Bevan R. Smith Jr., director of the Energy Office, gave remarks preceding the screenings at Pistarkle and UVI. Don Buchanan, media specialist, gave opening comments at Caribbean Community Theater.
Literature concerning alternative energy and energy efficiency were passed out at each event.

St. Croix Agricultural Fair Draws Residents
The V.I. Energy Office had thousands of Virgin Island residents visit its tent at the St. Croix Agriculture Fair Feb. 17, 18 and 19th. agfair

There appeared to be two motivating factors that kept a stream of interested residents going through the tent -- the recent approval by the Virgin Island government concerning net metering and a splash of advertising by a local retailer concerning wind energy. Staff was questioned often about net metering. More than 70 copies of Currents, with an updated story about the status of net metering, were given to interested residents.
The highest interest at the fair was, as usual, the rebate program. Two hundred of the rebate packages prepared by Leila Muller, program monitor, were distributed. It seems a higher percentage of residents were interested in the alternative energy rebates than at previous outreaches where most residents seemed interested in energy-efficient appliance rebates.
The tent had a Global Warming exhibit. Forty copies of “Ten Things You Can Do to Curb Global Warming” were given out as were about 30 copies for youngsters of fact sheets defining climate change. About 120 fact sheets concerning solar energy were distributed.
Many residents were attracted to the site by the wind turbine set up outside the tent. It was explained to residents that wind is a good idea, but only if the wind at the proposed site has been measured and found sufficient. See Video (Dialup version - DSL version)

To sign up for the Energy Office's newsletter just click here and send an e-mail. Or, if you just want to read the latest edition of Currents, click here.

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