Renewable Energy, Alternative Energy, Wind Energy, Solar Energy, Green, we hear these terms being used liberally every day on television, in the newspapers, from politicians, and enthusiasts. Almost all political candidates cite "Renewable Energy" as a campaign initiative. For many, they are just the latest buzzwords, used frequently, but how many really understand those terms? Green is the new "Cool" it seems. You, the reader may be confused or amused by the abundance use of such terms with few obvious and tangible projects.

This column's goal is to add some Caribbean focus to the issues of renewable energy, try to explain what it all means and what it can do for Anguilla and Anguillians. Before long, renewable energy issues will be front and center in our lives. As production at the large oil fields dwindle and new supplies become harder to find and extract, oil prices will rise. The days of cheap energy are over and alternatives will have to be developed. Part of the solution is to find new ways to make energy, but another part will be to make changes in the way we live our lives. The countries that change early and progressively will be impacted less, and this should be our focus.
Anguilla has many things going for it when it comes to implementing this change, not the least of which is an independent "can do" attitude.

We in Anguilla have abundant sun every day. When I get up in the morning, I am relatively sure the sun will be there to greet me, and that almost every day it will be bright. In solar systems engineering, we describe this brightness as the insolation level, and in Anguilla, we have one of the highest insolation levels in the world. But, we don't use any of it to generate our power.

As any sailor can tell you, the famous Trade Winds blow steadily over most of the Caribbean from December to June. These winds once brought the sailing ships to the Caribbean for trade, hence the name, but now have little commercial use besides recreational sailing and pleasant cooling effect. From an energy perspective, they offer a huge supply of free electricity, providing you have the right equipment to harvest the wind. Anguilla has excellent wind resources but again, does not make use any of them. Wind Turbines are not cheap, and many large scale wind projects around the world have failed because of poor planning and research, leaving a bitter taste.

Anguilla has made significant progress in the past year towards implementing the adoption of alternative energy and conservation measures. The former Speaker of the House, the Hon. David Carty, has led a team drawn from Government, private sector and non-governmental organizations to develop a National Energy Policy. A recent Executive Council meeting voted to adopt the policy, which is available to the public on our website http://www.cometenergysystems.com/ on the documents page. I encourage everyone to go and look at the work the committee has done to formulate this policy and to work with the Government to get it adopted as our National Energy Policy.

While the work of the Government is essential to progress in alternative energy systems, it is just as important that the citizens get involved in conserving energy and are aware of the issues we face and the changes involved. Governments tend to react to public opinion so unless there is an energy crisis, they tend not to disturb the status quo.

Anglec has done excellent work in making consumers aware of Energy Management opportunities. I must applaud a company who helps its customers buy less of its product, but that's part of the paradox of energy. While selling energy is progressively more lucrative as costs and usage increase, the issues of supply threaten to extinguish the supplier over time. Conservation is in everybody's interest and Anglec is quick to realize that. Anglec also takes a progressive viewpoint towards alternative energy sources, and in a future column I hope to provide an interview with the General Manager of Anglec to get his outlook on Anguilla's energy future.

Last month saw the much heralded Copenhagen COP15 meeting of world leaders. The disastrous failure of this event highlights the difficulties we face in moving the country towards energy independence. Most of the issues are too complex for the public to adequately understand. Normally, we would appoint scientists to evaluate and make recommendations which would be passed on to the political machine to evaluate and implement, and I have been very impressed by the political will to implement many of the measures currently being recommended such as encouraging alternative energy use. In future columns we will explore some of the successful ideas being used around the world to promote the development and adoption of renewable energy sources and to conserve energy resources.

Climate Change has become such a hot button issue that scientists are being shouted down by special interest groups bent on protecting their domains at the expense of rational opinion. The public is being blindsided by contradictory pseudo-science, outright lies and deception. It is important that we educate ourselves on the issues and voice our desire to see real change and improvements in the adoption of alternative energy sources and mitigating the effects of Climate Change. Doing nothing is not an option for the Caribbean, there is no magic wand that will provide a source of energy once oil starts to run out and we will be among the hardest hit when oil becomes in short supply. Our single product economy is completely dependent on energy, our viability is defined by oil prices, and we are hostages to world politics. Climate Change will hurt Caribbean Islands harder that larger countries, as we are so dependent on our reefs, beaches, climate and oceans.

Anguilla has shown itself to be resourceful and able to change more quickly than many nearby islands, change must be embraced if we are to survive the energy crisis that is coming. A progressive attitude towards implementing renewable energy projects is needed if Anguilla is to stand out from the crowd much as we have in the tourism industry over the past twenty years. While the National Energy Policy is a great first step, now is the time to see tangible progress, the kind of projects children can visit, point to and learn about, the sort of projects people can be trained in, can work at and can benefit from and that kind of progress requires that Anguilla become aware of renewable energy.

Chris Mason owns Comet Energy Systems, an Anguillian company specializing in Renewable Energy Projects. Learn more at www.cometenergysystems.com.

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