One of the earliest family lessons we learn is to share limited resources. For example, if a pizza is taken out of the oven, it is cut so that each family member gets at least one slice. If there are visitors, then it is cut accordingly. If someone does not want the portion allocated to them, it may be shared with others.
Selfish children and bullies tend to want an entire limited resource for themselves. At school, they unashamedly demonstrate their lack of parental guidance, but when they become adults, they may realise that their selfish behaviour is frowned upon by the public and either change their ways – or appear to. Their actions always reveal their true selves.
THE BENEFICIARIES.
I am finally ready to purchase a Photovoltaic (PV) system for our house. However, Emera (Barbados Light & Power) explained that there is no room left on the national grid, and they do not know when or if I would be able to connect – because they have a ‘first-come-first-served’ policy. Many Barbadians will likely find themselves in my situation; hence, this difficult conversation.
The current size of the national grid is 100 Megawatts (MW). Since it is a limited resource, one would expect that before allowing PV and similar systems to connect to the national grid, a national allocation plan would be published which identifies the amounts allocated to each group of beneficiaries. Who are these groups?
The 2021 Population and Housing Census reported approximately 62,000 occupied houses in Barbados. There are also approximately 2,000 commercial buildings, 200 public buildings and 130 schools in Barbados.
NATIONAL ALLOCATION PLAN.
A possible allocation plan follows. Allotting 500 watts to each house results in a total of 31 Megawatts (MW). Allotting 5,000 watts or 5 kilowatts to each commercial building results in a total of 10 MW. Allotting 5 kilowatts to each school and public building results in a total of 1.65 MW. Subtracting these totals from the 100 MW capacity of the national grid leaves a balance of 57.35 MW.
With these allocations, most houses, businesses and schools in Barbados should have adequate electrical power following a major hurricane, and Barbadians may invest in the remaining 57.35 MW.
WHERE IS MINE?
So, where is my 500-watt allocation? It is still there, but someone else is using it. Google Earth shows that relatively few houses in Barbados have PV panels. They are mainly on commercial buildings and vacant lands, and some are on a few public buildings. Therefore, business owners and investors seem to have taken others’ allotments.
I do not blame any business or investor in Barbados for using my 500-watt allocation, because I was not ready to use it. The Barbados Light & Power (BL&P) policy is aligned with the Government’s, which is 100% renewable energy sources by the year 2030.
WELL REGULATED.
It would be irresponsible for BL&P to wait for years until I was ready to use my allocated amount. They responsibly allowed a first-come-first-served policy while grid-space was available. However, once the grid is full, and homeowners, schools, Churches, business-owners and/or Barbadian investors are ready to connect their PV systems to the national grid, we need to revert to the national allocation policy.
If Emera was properly regulated, then once there is no more space on the grid, every house that is supplying more than 500 watts to the national grid (approximately 360 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month) should have the excess PV panels disconnected and that power diverted to another use. The same for: (i) commercial and public buildings that exceed their 5 kW allotment (approximately 3,600 kWh per month) and (ii) investors who exceed a prescribed limit – so that everyone may share in the limited grid capacity.
POORLY REGULATED.
From my discussions with the Canadian-owned Emera/BL&P, I understand that they have no intention of asking any business owner or investor to disconnect any part of their PV system to accommodate those who are now ready to connect. If the grid is expanded, they noted their intention to continue their first-come-first-served policy.
There are some companies where you may appeal to their sense of fairness because you share a common culture of what is right and wrong. There are other companies that have no such culture and must be compelled to do what is right.
Setting a national allocation policy for a limited national resource is the most basic responsibility of those who regulate and manage the resource, and I refuse to believe that we have been this negligent. I also refuse to believe that Emera is allowed to manage the national grid to mainly benefit selfish persons who bully their way to the front because of their easier access to capital, and treat those whom they shut out with a dismissive ‘snooze-you-lose’ attitude – I refuse to believe it.
Grenville Phillips II is a Doctor of Engineering and a Chartered Structural Engineer. He can be reached at NextParty246@gmail.com
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