V.I. to spend $9 million on energy-saving measures
Published: May 26, 2010
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The Virgin Islands government is using more than $9 million of federal stimulus money to invest in energy efficiency initiatives expected to save the government more than $2.1 million a year.
Government House has announced that Gov. John deJongh Jr. recently executed four Memoranda of Agreement to use about $9 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funds for four government projects.
The agreements are between the V.I. Energy Office and the V.I. Public Works Department, V.I. Water and Power Authority, V.I. Port Authority and V.I. Waste Management Authority.
“The availability and access to ARRA funding has enabled us to be creative and to implement programs that will have a direct impact on government costs and our approach to energy conservation,” deJongh said in a written statement.
Public Works will use $964,955 to install light emitting diodes — LED bulbs — in traffic signals and streetlights and to install solar lights in bus shelters and on the Christiansted Boardwalk.
LED lights use half the power that compact fluorescent bulbs utilize and have twice the lifecycle. Don Buchanan, V.I. Energy Office spokesman, said LED lights can burn for about 50,000 hours. To compare, compact fluorescent bulbs have a lifespan of about 10,000 hours and incandescent bulbs only last for about 1,200 hours.
“We’re progressing,” Buchanan said. “We’ve progressed from incandescent to CFL and now to LED.”
The Public Works projects are expected to save the government about 820,060 kilowatt hours per year.
He said upgrading to LED lights reduces manpower costs as well because there is less maintenance required and the bulbs do not have to be changed as frequently.
WAPA will also switch to LED bulbs in all the territory’s streetlights.
Lynnette Moreland, WAPA spokeswoman, said there are 4,332 streetlights on St. Croix and a combined total of 5,337 on St. John, St. Thomas and Water Island. She said WAPA currently spends $373,000 a month to operate the streetlights.
DeJongh said the $2.5 million in federal stimulus funds earmarked will allow WAPA to replace its high-pressure sodium street light fixtures with LED fixtures.
The Waste Management Authority will use about $3 million to collect gas at the Bovoni Landfill and turn it into electricity. The federal funding will pay for the installation of generating equipment. The gas for the generators will be collected with a gas collection system already planned as part of the landfill closure process. The project is estimated to produce 1.5 million kilowatt hours per year.
The V.I. Port Authority will receive $2.9 million to purchase and install a 335 kilowatt photo voltaic solar system at King Airport on St. Thomas. The project is expected to produce 485,925 kilowatt hours per year for the Port Authority’s use — saving the Port Authority about $170,073 annually.
“This is a significant milestone in our efforts to achieve the objectives of our comprehensive energy strategy. These government agencies are leading by example as we begin to reduce energy costs and promote clean energy use,” Bevan Smith Jr., director of the Energy Office, said in the news release.
— Contact reporter Aldeth Lewin at 774-8772 ext. 311 or e-mail alewin@dailynews.vi.
