CONFIRMATION THAT the Barbados Light & Power Company Ltd has no immediate plan to introduce an energy storage component to its Renewable Energy Rider programme has not gone down well with some suppliers.
Respondents at the Fair Trading Commission’s (FTC) public consultation on Friday at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre pushed for BL&P?to invest in storage capacity for the excess energy generated by Barbadians, but the power company said it was too expensive an investment right now.
A storage programme would allow excess power generated during low-demand periods to be used when increased electricity supply is required.
The Renewable Energy Rider programme gives the BL&P customers credit for excess electricity they generate from renewable energy systems installed primarily for private use.
During his 30-minute presentation to the FTC’s five member electricity panel, chief operating officer of BL&P?Stephen Worme said the cost of storing energy was “quite significant” and wouldn’t make sense at this stage.
“The technology is improving substantially and has improved substantially but we’re still at a position that it probably would come at a substantial cost and then the question would be who would bear that cost,” he said.
BL&P has recommended to the FTC that the limit of capacity from customer-owned wind and photovoltaic energy be cappedat five megawatts.
However, those in the alternative energy sector told BARBADOS BUSINESS AUTHORITY that the five megawatts limit had already been reached and currently had little or no impact on Barbados’ $800 million annual oil import bill.
They have called on the FTC to move the cap to 30 megawatts.
The electricity company which is now owned by Canadian power giant Emera, has argued that wind and solar were intermittent sources of electricity and there would be a limit in the amount of these that could be in service at any time without negatively impacting on system stability.
The rider is only intended for persons who are installing renewable systems mainly to offset their own electricity consumption and not for those who are installing them to sell electricity to the grid, contends the BL&P.
However, Worme, who fielded questions for almost an hour, said storage may become necessary in the long run. He said the BL&P believed the best way to grow smaller renewable energy systems was through connections to the grid.
