MIXED REVIEWS Environmental lobbyists weigh in on energy policy’s renewables target
MIXED REVIEWS
Environmental lobbyists weigh in on energy policy’s renewables target
BY PETRE WILLIAMS-RAYNOR Environment editor williamsp@jamaicaobserver.com
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
The environment sector has greeted with a mixture of pleasure and scepticism the Government’s move to have renewables, including solar, wind and hydro power, meet 20 per cent of Jamaica’s energy needs by 2030.
Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Mining, Marcia Forbes revealed earlier this month that the new energy policy was looking to have 15 per cent of the island’s energy mix accounted for by renewables by 2020. Environment Watch subsequently learnt from the draft policy document – to be submitted to Cabinet for approval shortly – that the figure would run to 20 per cent by 2030.
The effort comes as the island is striving to slash its oil bill, which came in at more than US$2 billion last year, and in accordance with Vision 2030 national development plan.
“That is a very good start. I am pleasantly surprised actually. I thought that it was going to be less than that. I am delighted to hear,” said Diana McCaulay, executive director of the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET). “To go for renewables to be a bigger and increasing percentage from the way we get energy is a very good decision.”
Environmental lobbyist Peter Espeut said he was happy for the 20 per cent but was really hoping that the target would have been 30 per cent.
“In 21 years, we can’t do more than get 20 per cent of our energy by renewables. I am under-whelmed,” said Espeut, former executive director of the Caribbean Coastal Area Management (CCAM) Foundation. “It is good. But nothing to jump up and shout about. It is not a sufficient quantum to be excited about.”
Franklyn McDonald, co-ordinator of the Institute of Sustainable Development at the University of the West Indies, Mona, welcomed the 20 per cent target. He, however, warned that it would be necessary to exceed the target, given the island’s current consumption and the associated cost.
“There have been targets set about making a percentage of our energy mix from as far back as the 2002 Johannesburg Summit on the environment,” McDonald told Environment Watch. “So this is probably just formalising some of those. This is something that is to be welcomed, but what we should be trying to do, given the energy situation of Jamaica, is exceed the targets. There is the need for us to deal with the issue of the target and the issue of energy efficiency. While we set targets we are still very inefficient in the use of the conventional fossil fuel, and that is something we also need to improve upon. So I hope the energy policy reflects the 2006 green commitments.”
At the same time, McDonald said that the crafters of the policy would have to ensure that provisions are made for the successful implementation and monitoring of the target.
“You want the targets set and then monitored,” he said. “We have very good diagnostic documents. The problem is that we have not stuck to the diagnostic documents through changes of international environment, government, etc, and we quietly forget the targets.”
Added McDonald: “There is also the challenge of policy harmonisation. So you set the energy policy but then you don’t reset the water targets.”
According to McDonald, the issue of energy efficiency needed to be addressed, having regard to the island’s heavy consumption of conventional sources of energy, notably oil.
The policy document itself answers McDonald’s concern.
“The implementation of this policy will be led by the Ministry of Energy and Mining, several other departments and agencies of Government as well as non-state stakeholders, including the private sector, NGOs and CBOs,” notes the draft policy document. “The involvement of all stakeholders is fundamental to the successful implementation of this policy. The Ministry of Energy and Mining will have the dual responsibilities of articulating the policy and co-ordinating the monitoring of its implementation. The first role will require it to set out clear guidelines to its departments and agencies and other sister ministries and their departments and agencies.”
Meanwhile, Forbes noted that accounted for in the percentage of renewables were biofuels (fuels made from plants), including Jatropha and ethanol about which there are lingering concerns over their impact on land use and the cost of food items, notably corn.
The permanent secretary has sought to allay the fears of those concerned by the growth in biofuels on the island.
“We are planning to mainly use marginal lands for growing the feedstock and are not looking at food stock like corn,” she said in a written response to Environment Watch queries.
For the time being at least, McCaulay said she was willing to give the Ministry of Mining and Energy and, by extension, the Government the benefit of the doubt when it came to addressing people’s concerns.
“I think like anything, all aspects of it have to be looked at. For example, Jamaica is a very good place for solar. But solar has batteries and so we have to find a way to deal with the batteries,” the Jet boss said. “I don’t know much about Jatropha, but from what I have read, there are waste issues with it. You want to ensure that where you put it is land that is already degraded in some way. With ethanol, there is a big difference between ethanol from corn and ethanol from sugar. So there is no ‘free lunch’ and what we have to ensure is that we look from cradle to grave to make the best decision for Jamaica.”
Espeut was not as understanding. For one thing, he said that biofuels were not renewable sources of energy and ought not to be treated as such, given their contributions to the concentration of greenhouse gases, notably carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere.
“Biofuels are not renewable. Renewable means it does not use up resources. So sun is renewable, hydro is renewable. With ethanol you have to produce corn or sugar and when you burn it, it still produces greenhouses gas, whereas geothermal does not, hydro power doesn’t and solar doesn’t,” said Espeut. “So if they are telling me that the extra 10 (or so) per cent (of renewables contribution to the energy mix) is going to be in ethanol and biofuels, I am under-whelmed.”
Fitzroy Vidal, senior energy engineer in the Ministry of Mining and Energy, has welcomed the comments of the players in the sector.
“That is what we want to hear,” he said of Espeut’s criticism of the 20 per cent target. “These figures are projected targets. We hope to surpass them. The only oil we have is from the sky, and that is sun, wind. therefore we must as a country mould our energy strategy around what we have. And supplement it with what we don’t have in strategic proportions.”
Still, he noted that they had set targets based on what they deemed achievable, having regard to the availability of resources and in the best interest of the various stakeholders.
“We are setting (targets) based on what we know is achievable. We have to now put the plans in place to achieve these targets. We are not pulling figures out of the sky,” Vidal told Environment Watch. “We have to look at the overall energy situation in the country because there are other players in the sector as well. We want a win/win for all the players. And certainly the consumers must benefit in terms of long-term stability and affordability.”
At the same time, he said measures needed to be put in place now to ensure the targets were realised.
“There is a whole host of things you have to do now to achieve your targets if we are to rebalance the energy situation,” he said. “Some of the things that need to happen is, we have to put a suitable renewable energy policy in place and suitable legislation to encourage investment in the sector.”