“We
have one objective, which is to identify and exploit Jamaica's indigenous Energy
resources to secure affordable supplies for the nation....We see this event as
an effective vehicle for fulfilling the ultimate goal of all our public education
efforts, which is to foster a population that uses Energy efficiently and
wisely”
PCJ's Group Chief
Financial Officer, Robert Clarke at the annual PCJ-sponsored Jamaica
Alternative Energy Expo at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston, on Thursday
April 7th 2016.
The
JUTC (Jamaica Urban Transit Corporation) might soon be running on biofuel after
all.
This
as the PCJ (Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica) is researching the use of biodiesel
as a fuel for the JUTC buses as reported in the article “PCJ
Researching Biodiesel As Transport Fuel”, published Friday
April 8, 2016, by McPherse Thompson, The
Jamaica Gleaner.
 |
This
came to light at the annual PCJ-sponsored Jamaica
Alternative Energy Expo at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston, on
Thursday April 7th 2016. The Jamaica Alternative Energy Expo is a
showcase of Alternative Energy Technologies, products and solutions designed to
reduce Energy usage and cost. The two day Expo saw some 40 organizations mount
display booths for two days up until Friday April 8th 2016.
Apparently
the PCJ, on behalf of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining is
looking into using vegetable or animal fat-based oil as Biodiesel that are
reacted with alcohol producing fatty acid esters. The resulting moisture of
esters and oils makes for a combustible mixture that is lead free and burns
more cleanly than Diesel from petroleum.
In
fact it can obtained from the recycling Cooking Oil as explained in my blog
article entitled “UWI
and YCWJ team up to Recycle Waste Cooking Oil - How to make National Bio-Diesel
Production from Waste Cooking Oil”.
So
why the sudden interest being shown by the PCJ in biofuels even though we're
now experiencing Oil prices as low as US$26 per barrel as pointed out in my blog
article entitled “US$50
per barrel Oil from OPEC – Why Ford Motors is predicting a bright future for
All-Electric Vehicles”.
PCJ's Jamaica
Alternative Energy Expo - Why Renewables are a must before 2020 as Oil prices
set to Rise
It's
set to get worse now that OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)
cannot achieve consensus on an output freeze from Iran as noted in the article
“Top
oil countries fail to reach deal on production freeze”,
published April 17, 2016 by Charles Riley and John Defterios, CNN Money.
So
Jamaica’s interest in Biofuels may seem puzzling. however, the reality is that
the low oil prices are temporary; as soon as world demand rises to meet the
current glut of oil on the market, prices may rise as high as US$300 a barrel
by 2020 as predicted in my blog
article entitled “Why
Jamaican Private Sector funding Oil Exploration by Tullow Oil for US$300 per
barrel in 2020”.
The
Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining and the PCJ are using this
opportunity to basically diversify the Energy mix in Jamaica away from cheap
Oil so that when the price of oil rises by 2020, we would have been getting the
majority of our Energy needs from Alternative
or Renewable Energy.
Sources.
So says permanent secretary in the Science ministry, Hillary Alexander, quote:
“Alternative Energy sources are of great value, particularly as the global
conversation on Energy is taking a more serious look at issues related to
climate change and cleaner Energy sources”
For
that reason, Energy diversification also includes looking into Alternative Energy options as follows:
1. Biomass
Energy
2. Wind
Energy
3. Solar
Energy
4. Geothermal
Energy
5. Hydroelectric
Energy
6. Tidal
Energy
7. Wave
Energy
8. Wood
Energy
No
matter the form that the Alternative Energy
Source takes, it has to ultimately be converted either into Electricity to
power businesses and homes or Biofuel to power vehicle and Electricity
generating facilities. PCJ's Group Chief Financial Officer, Robert Clarke says
that they're also looking in other sources of Renewable Energy on the list and
Hydroelectricity one of them.
Hydroelectric Energy in
Jamaica - Alternative Energy is Jamaica's long term savior from Imported Oil
Despite
the fact that Hydroelectric Power is somewhat prone to fluctuations in the
water levels of rivers due to drought as noted in my blog
article entitled “JPSCo
says Hydroelectric down 15% - Solar and Wind fill 115MW Renewable Energy
Contract” the OUR (Office of Utilities Regulation) has plans
for a 2 MW hydroelectric power plant in Laughlands Great River in St Ann is
still seen as feasible.
The
Energy potential of Hydroelectric Power form this particular project is huge,
as it may mean a lot of households being supplied with hydroelectric power, to
quote Robert Clarke: “If our proposal is approved, our hydro project could
potentially supply an average of 13,002 megawatt hours of Energy to the grid
each year”.
There
are other plans aside from Jamaica going Renewables by 2020:
1. Enforcement
of Energy-efficiency standards and codes for appliances and buildings
2. 50%
reduction of Energy consumption in new buildings
3. Ensuring
that all new buildings use zero net Energy by 2025
The
BCJ (Bureau of Standards Jamaica) is already coming up with regulation as it
relates to the importation of Electronics and Appliances as noted in my blog
article entitled “BSJ's
Energy Standards for Imported Electrical Appliances - Why a Ban on Light Bulbs
may lead to Chinese Manufacturing in Jamaica”.
Hopefully
they'll eventually ban the importation of Fluorescent and incandescent bulbs.
Also A switch to using Hydrogen to replace Cooking gas would also cut our fuel
importation bill as noted in my blog
article entitled “UTECH
and Hydrogen as Cooking Gas – How Hydride Salts make Hydrogen Cooking Gas and
Fuel Cells possible”.
Finally
making Biofuel into an industry in Jamaica could help to solve out islands
problem with Organic Waste and our Landfill problem as argued in my blog
article entitled “Why
Knockalva Enterprises Limited can solve Jamaica's Organic Waste, Bio-Fuel and
Water Problem”.
Alternative Energy is Jamaica's long term
saviour from Imported Oil. The PCJ’s efforts to diversify Jamaica’s Energy mix
towards mainly Renewables will give us the Energy stability and lower prices
that encourage manufacturing that are needed for our economy to grow.
Here’s
the link:
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