No wind turbines for us ;-( maybe??
Posted by Andy Mann in PlanningJun 3rd, 2009 | one response
This is a greenbuild project – perhaps we believe the very first in Turks and Caicos and whilst we have approached this in a holistic “whole building” approach – we received disappointing news last week when our application for wind turbines was turned down by the Turks and Caicos Planning Board…. but why no to sustainable green power??? WHY????
Well it would appear that at first glance this is a terrible decision based on a government wanting to support the local power company and its oil-based power plant that supplies the majority of the Turks and Caicos Islands. But that would be wrong. We popped over to the planning board and sat down with Mr. Clyde Robinson who is in charge of the planning dept and discussed it with him and some of his team.
Our application was turned down because they are concerned that the turbines will be too popular and everyone will want one. With power bills for my house (with no A/C) commonly over $400 and the 1,000sqft office hovering around the $1,000 a month mark – you can see why :-0
The problem is that currently there is no policy covering the installation of wind turbines in the TCI and if they granted our application it would open the door for everyone else. So it’s not because they think they are bad – it’s because they think they will be too popular!!
Our holistic approach means that we’ve already built in features that will save us money by reducing our consumption, our footprint and demand for power. This has been done through energy-efficient devices, lights and insulation as well as light tubes, reflective windows and other features. We also have the option of using solar panels. This is great, but the tradewinds are a constant source of reliable wind energy that has been used by the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands for many generations – from the days of the salt industry, for sailing and more. The combination of solar AND wind is highly recommended by most green advisers.
Mr. Robinson assures us that a policy is already being worked on and will be in place “shortly”. This is great news that the board is looking at “green” options as real solutions that need to be looked into and not just simply ignored. We will build our building so that the turbines can be retro-fitted at a later point in time if need be, but hope that its not long before the turbines are a common site in Turks and Caicos.
What do they look like?? Here is a picture of one in Hawaii – doesn’t it look great? The Skystream website also has many more images of turbines in action…yummy !
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About the Project
Wind power is a good source of electricity but it also takes up lots of space just like solar power plants.:,-