Virgin Islands Energy Office programs outlining energy efficiency and alternative energy sources including grants and rebates and tips on how to save money on electric bills and improve gas mileage.

The Virgin Islands Energy Office staff was on hand both days of the Bordeaux Fair, Jan. 15 and 16, 2012. The staff made available information on energy efficiency and alternative energy to the thousands of people who attended the annual fair in the hills on the west end of St. Thomas. The fair is sponsored by Bordeaux Farmers We Grow Food. For a video from the event, click here.

The Virgin Islands Energy Office, in early November, warned residents that funds for rebates under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) were running low. The office today officially announced that all the rebate funds have been exhausted. There are no more funds available in Sun Power Loan program, State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, and the Renewable Energy rebate program. The funds were awarded to the Energy Office, a division of the Office of the Governor, in the spring of 2009 with the condition that funds in one program be expended by February 2012 and in the other programs no later than April 2012.
           Energy Office Director Karl Knight said, “The programs were very successful. The funds went where they were supposed to go, when they were supposed to go. I would like to congratulate the Energy Office staff on a job well done and thank the community members for participating.”
            By the end of January 2012 when all applications on-hand are processed, the Energy Office will have provided financial incentives to more than 4000 residents (Almost 4 per cent of the USVI population) valued at $7,489,571 causing a huge cash infusion in the local economy. The $7.4 million represents 36 percent of the $20,780,000 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy under ARRA for financial incentive programs whose target audience was individual residents and small business owners. Other programs, that don’t include direct rebates, are still being administered by the Energy Office.
           The Energy Office rebated 50 percent of the cost of photovoltaic system components, limited at $13,300, to 112 residents between October 2009 and October 2010. In that time period, 10 residents received rebates for wind turbines. From October 2010 to March of this year, 72 residents received rebates for solar system components and nine for wind turbines.   The Energy Office estimates that about 200 more residents received renewable energy rebates the last half of this year, but the office does not have an exact count as yet.
Knight said, “We don’t see any funds available for renewable energy rebates on the horizon, but if any do become available, we will pursue them.”
           The Sun Power Loan program gave residents the opportunity to get solar water heaters with no money down. The Energy Office disbursed over $4 million in this program. Approximately 878 homes and small businesses can now produce their own hot water without paying the Water and Power Authority to burn oil to produce the heat. Knight expressed appreciation to the Water and Power Authority, the Economic Development Authority and the solar water heater vendors for their contribution in making this part of the program a success. This is only the end of the first phase of what the Energy Office hopes will be a longstanding program. The loan funds have been deposited in a “revolving fund.” As loans are repaid by the previous clients, funds should develop from which new loans can be made. The Energy Office will announce the resumption of the second phase of the Loan Program sometime early next year along with any changes to the terms and conditions of the program. In the meanwhile, customers who purchase systems outright can still qualify for a 30 per cent federal tax credit when they file.
           State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program had $102,000 available to residents who wanted to replace certain energy inefficient appliances such as dishwashers and refrigerators with energy efficient ones.

The EDIN-USVI Partners are asking local business owners to “VIenergize (pronounced Vy-energize) for the Holidays.” Through the EDIN partnership, the V.I. Energy Office, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, U.S. Departments of Energy and the Interior, and the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority are working with V.I. residents in finding solutions to lower energy costs. Businesses which Vienergize, during this holiday, season can maximize savings from the reduction in electric fuel charges.
Business owners can VIenergize using these no- and low-cost energy saving tips to potentially save 10-25% monthly in energy bills.

The Virgin Islands Energy Office urges residents to take advantage State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program within the next couple of weeks as it nears closure. This program, focused on the replacement of inefficient dishwashers and freezers with energy efficient ones, was funded with $104,000 the under American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Most of those funds have been disbursed and when that money is gone, there are no plans to fund the program further.
           The Energy Office never offered rebates on dishwashers and freezers before this program began last year. The program also includes rebates on refrigerators, room air conditioners, certain heat pumps and gas tankless water heaters.
           When Governor John P. deJongh Jr. announced the ARRA rebate programs in October 2009, he said, $6.5 million has been set aside for rebates and loans. After this rebate program closes, only the renewable energy rebate program will still have funds available. At this point there is $227,000 left in that program that gives 50 percent rebates on wind turbines, photovoltaic systems, solar water heaters, batteries and inverters.
           For more information call 713-8436 on St. Croix or 714-8436 on St. Thomas.

Miguel Quinones, program specialist at the Virgin Islands Energy Office, presented St. John Chamber Chapter members detailsof a key initiative in VI Energy Alliance program when the Chamber convened at the Battery in Cruz Bay Oct. 25.
           He said the Energy Alliance program was designed by the VI Energy Office “to reduce the energy consumption for all customers including government, large commercial and industrial, small businesses and residential.”
           He then narrowed his focus to the segment of that program that was most likely to help the small business persons in the audience. -- USVI WISE (Worthwhile Investments Save Energy). He told the room that included about a dozen people that WISE’s first focus is on helping small businesses cut down energy consumption. He pointed out that investments in energy efficiency have a high rate of return. He added that predicting revenues without a strong knowledge of energy use and costs is very difficult.
           If, after an assessment by the Energy Office, a business is found eligible for the WISE program, it can receive a grant for up to 40 percent of the cost of energy improvements it makes.
           Eligible applicants are small retail and service businesses with utility usage of 30,000 kWh monthly or less. To qualify, businesses must own their buildings or have long-term leases.
           Quinones emphasized that a business will have to demonstrate that it has implemented energy efficient methods that reduce its consumption by 15 percent before it will be eligible to use grant money for renewable energy projects such as solar or wind.
           Quinones outlined the process that a business person would have to go through to get into the program and he had applications available for those interested. Audience members pointed out that if there could be a revolving loan element added to the program to aid businesses with their 60 percent obligation, the program would become even more attractive.
           Quinones said that the Energy Alliance program is part of Gov. John deJongh, Jr. plan to reduce the Virgin Islands need for fossil fuel by 60 percent by the year 2025

Energy Office Earns Partnership Award

The Virgin Islands Energy Office was awarded the 2011 Public-Private Partnership Award for Innovation by the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships, on OCt. 14.
The Energy Office was recognized for developing the Energy Alliance Program, launched earlier this year to address soaring energy costs within government agencies.

lights

The V.I. Energy Alliance Program uses private energy service companies for large-scale energy efficiency retrofit projects at existing public facilities. The approach has been used to retrofit 11 public schools in the territory, with an anticipated annual savings of $1.1 million to the Department of Education.
                The costs of the efficiency improvements are paid through the energy savings over the life of the project, thereby requiring no increased cash outlay. The energy service companies provide a performance guarantee on their work and assume initial responsibility for maintenance.
                The Energy Alliance Program has made the energy service companies hired by the government available to large commercial establishments interested in pursuing energy efficiency projects. The program has also recently launched the USVI-WISE (Worthwhile Investment Saves Energy) program, which provides subsidies to small businesses making investments in energy efficiency.
                The co-recipient of the award is Bostonia Partners, LLC, which was hired by the Energy Office to design and implement the program on behalf of the government of the Virgin Islands. The award was presented at an awards banquet Tuesday in Tampa.
                "Crisis often breeds innovation, and I am proud to be a part of this effort that has developed a sustainable model for increasing our energy efficiency that has been deemed worthy of national recognition,” said VIEO Director Karl Knight.
                The Energy Alliance Program is one of the initiatives created to reach Gov. John deJongh’s goal of reducing fossil fuel consumption 60 percent by the year 2025. Other VIEO projects include the solar water heater program, LED street lighting in both districts, the airport solar panel project on St. Thomas, WAPA’s heat recovery steam generator at the Richmond Power Plant facility on St. Croix and the weatherization program for low-income V.I. residents.

Technical Assessments Inform Path Forward for EDIN-USVI Project
Working groups in the U.S. Virgin Islands have made considerable progress on the strategic planning required meet the USVI’s goal of reducing fossil fuel–based energy use in 60 percent by 2025. Eighteen months since the USVI signed an MOU with the international partnership for Energy Development in Island Nations (EDIN) to initiate the U.S. territory’s participation in EDIN’s pilot project, they are deep into the planning and assessment phases of the three-part community energy planning process. Much of their work over the past year has been dedicated to completing technical assessments needed to establish a viable path forward.
                Several key analyses have been completed, and the resulting reports explore the opportunities, barriers and decisions that must be made if the territory is to achieve its audacious clean energy goals.
                Renewable Energy Integration Reports—Sources of renewable energy, such as wind and solar, differ from conventional energy sources in that they are intermittent, which means they are not under the control of the utility. Significant planning is required to ensure that the intermittent nature of the power they produce does not compromise the reliability of the electrical system. One potential solution to address this challenge is a proposed interconnection of the USVI and surrounding islands’ electrical grids in the future.
                Two reports, a renewable energy integration report published by NREL and an interisland transmission report published by Siemens PTI, were completed over the summer. The reports examine the feasibility of integrating renewable energy technologies into the USVI transmission and distribution systems, including: