Energy management, the way forward for efficiency in the energy sector in Saint Lucia

BY: Saint Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCLEC)

Energy management (EM) is the collective term for all the processes to minimize and control both the quantity and cost of energy used in providing a service.

EM in this scenario is a program involving personnel at all levels with knowledge and management skills capable of promoting energy conservation and consciousness, leading to a better quality of life for all. EM can be executed by individuals, companies or countries.

Proper EM should not be limited to the power sector, but the entire energy spectrum. This includes cooking, lighting, manufacturing, office work, agriculture, and transportation. The inclusion of the entire energy spectrum is the best way of achieving efficiency and development not only in the energy sector, but across all other areas that contribute to national development. The efficient use of energy and the use of national resources to improve the energy per GDP point to the quickest way towards sustainable development. In this context ‘national resources’ does not only mean the renewable energy source available as a natural resource (wind, solar, biomass, geothermal) but the human resource.

Important components of energy management include but are not limited to:

· Setting up of a proper energy policy.

· Users’ involvement and awareness.

· Minimization of energy wastage.

· Ongoing monitoring, target setting and reporting to ensure energy use remains within policy objectives.

· Optimization of energy efficiency through passive means and/or the use of appropriate technology.

· Use of the most appropriate energy source (e.g. electricity, gas, solar) with due regard to the environmental benefits.

· Purchase of energy at the most economical price.

· Modification of operations, where possible, to make the best use of energy price structures.

· Increasing the use of energy from renewable sources.

The guidelines above can be followed by an individual, an organization or a country. However, in each case one will have to define the guidelines which best suits it. For example, individuals or organizations may not necessarily set up an energy policy. Such a policy would best fit a country.

Setting up of a proper energy policy

A good energy policy is important for achieving the desired results of proper energy management. The aim of a good energy policy should include:

· Lower costs to consumers ·

· Increased reliability and efficiency of the power and energy sector ·

· Greater choices for consumers.

Further, the energy policy should also aim at lowering the cost of transactions and regulation; controlling and regulating the energy monopolies; reducing the burden of investment on government; helping develop domestic capital markets; stimulating the introduction of new technology in power and energy; supplying power to all citizens; better achieving environmental compliance; providing for a better trained and educated workforce and minimizing opportunities for market distorting practices.

Once the energy policy is in place strategies must be derived for implementing that policy. Some strategies for implementing a good energy policy are:

· Exploiting all financing options

· Developing a flexible approach to the provision of power and energy in areas without supply.

· Encouraging the co-production of other goods and services

· Utilizing least cost options

Users’ Involvement and Awareness

Stakeholders must be involved in the development, revision and implementation of the energy policy. They should be aware of the objectives and the targets. These targets must be quantifiable, including any measures that were taken to achieve energy efficiency.

Minimizing Energy Wastage

Minimization of energy wastage is an important aspect of energy management. There are certain factors one needs to be cognizant of to effectively manage and reduce energy wastage. These include but are not limited to;
· The consumption and utilization of appliances used in the home, office or hotel
· Utilization of the most efficient appliances available. 
· Knowledge of the processes which these appliance or machines are involved in. For example by understanding the processes one may be able to reduce the use of high consumption machines or eliminate them all together. 
· Installing and adjusting temperature settings, timers, lighting levels etc., to ensure minimum energy use for given comfort levels. 
· The age of plant and equipment; is it less than 10 years old?

Ongoing monitoring, target setting and reporting to ensure energy use remains within policy objectives

Once the policy objectives are set in the energy policies, the various targets should be quantified. This would allow for objective monitoring instead of subjective monitoring. In setting the targets one should not use the best or better than this country but one should use terms like the energy intensity (energy /GDP) or the price of electricity. The comparison can then be made with other countries using these parameters as a bench mark. (Singapore (an island state the size of St. Lucia) consumed 0.27 kWh per US$1 (base 1995) in 1999), on the other hand St. Lucia consumed 0.5 kWh per US$1 (base 1995) in 1999.).

Optimization of energy efficiency through passive means and/or the use of appropriate technology

Passive design is the control of ventilation and temperature without using any products that consume energy or money (such as heaters, dehumidifiers or fires).

Making best use of Passive design includes;

• House orientation – positioning the house to allow coolness in the summer. This includes deciding which rooms you want to be the sunniest.
• Solar energy – using solar panels for water heating.
• Use of structural elements – for example, wide eaves protect from the sun in summer and provide increased weather protection in winter.
• Planting trees for shading around the house or commercial property – the tree will shade the buildings from direct sunlight, thus reducing heat through radiation and allowing cooling of the house.
• Ventilation – using window joinery that allows ventilation, such as security catches allowing windows to remain partially open, or vents in the joinery.

Use of the most appropriate energy source (e.g. electricity, gas, solar) with due regard to the environmental benefits

The use of appropriate energy sources is important and until 2001 -2002 for St. Lucia the least cost energy source was diesel in terms of cost and reliability of power supply. However, recent technological developments in energy generated from wind coupled by the rising cost of fossil fuels make wind energy generation very attractive. The problem with wind is that though it is quickly becoming less expensive, it still does not offer the comfort of reliable capacity. This issue of reliability must be ironed out before wind generation can totally replace conventional forms of energy generation. For now the combination of diesel and wind generated energy can work well to decrease the island’s dependence on fossil fuels.

The rise of bio fuels as a means of mobile energy (energy for the transport sector) is very important in the prospects for appropriate energy sources. Bio fuels can be derived from agricultural materials such as Sugar Cane, Vegetable Oils, Cassava, and Various Grasses.

Bio fuels are now being produced in many parts of the world for the transport sector. In Brazil bio fuel from sugar cane is the fuel of choice, while in the USA ethanol produced from corn is used as an additive to gasoline for vehicles. The production of bio fuels from corn has become a very important source of extra agricultural revenue for farmers.

The energy management strategy for St. Lucia has to be one of understanding the various sources, the quantity available and the ability to develop the resource. In that regard, there is need for a research and development unit to spearhead innovation in the energy sector.

Increasing the use of energy from Renewable Sources

In the development of a sustainable energy management strategy the efficient use of renewable resources is extremely important. Saint Lucia has a host of renewable sources of energy which can be exploited. These include but are not limited to: Wind, Solar, Bio Mass, and Geothermal.

The use of these resources is dependent on the technologies available and the presence of land areas capable of holding the large systems needed for economic viability. LUCELEC, the sole power generating utility on the island, has attempted for years to include wind into its energy mix but has been hampered by the difficulties in obtaining a suitable parcel of land that would make the project viable.

The answer to some of the land problems should be in the development of a land policy that would make areas available only for the harnessing of renewable sources of energy.

Solar energy is widely available in St. Lucia. However, outside of utilizing solar energy for heating, the cost is high for other uses such as lighting and for powering equipment. For St. Lucia the way forward should include increased use of solar energy for heating, coupled with research and attracting the investments to develop viable solar technologies.

How will we pay for the development of a proper Energy Management Process?

The process of developing and implementing an appropriate energy management system is very costly and many are apt to question where the money will come from. One source of funds will be the savings from reduced reliance on fossil fuel and the accompanying carbon credits. The initial investment cost can be a soft loan from the Petro Caribe initiative. In fact St. Lucia may be able to use the Petro Caribe initiative to develop our other energy resources to promote energy diversification, efficiency and sustainability.

How’s that for using the credit system of the Petro Caribe initiative to secure our children’s future and guarantee sustainable growth well into the future.