The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in a ninety four (94) page publication titled "REthink Energy towards a new power system" articulated the point that policies that promote renewable energy can simultaneously address economic, social and environmental objectives. I too share this sentiment. As global warming becomes more apparent, policymakers in the developed world have… Continue reading Can Renewables Address the Economic, Social and Environmental Goals in the Caribbean?
The Fuel & IPP Charge on your bill combines two factors: 1) The cost of fuel used to generate electricity and 2) The cost of the electricity supplied by Independent Power Producers (IPPs). The fuel cost is by far the greatest contributor to the Fuel & IPP Charge. JPS says it needs approximately 20,000 barrels… Continue reading What is the Fuel and IPP charge on your JPS Bill?
The average cost of the electricity in Jamaica is currently at a five year low of US 25 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), according to the privately owned electricity company (Jamaica Public Service). JPS says the dramatic reduction in the overall cost of electricity is due to lower fuel charges, as well as the improved efficiency… Continue reading Average Electricity Cost in Jamaica is Down to Five-Year Low
In late 2013, the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) named three preferred bidders for the supply of up to 115 MW (megawatts) of electricity generation capacity from renewable energy. The three preferred bids amounted to a total 78 MW of energy only renewable energy capacity, including two projects offering energy from wind amounting to 58 MW,… Continue reading The Economics of Wind Power in Jamaica
The high cost of electricity in the small islands of the Caribbean has drive the various governments to take a serious look at incorporating various forms of renewable energy source into their country's energy mix. As a result electricity markets across the region have seen the introduction of grid interconnection policies, allowing end users with… Continue reading Distributed RE Integration Policies in the Caribbean
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in its REmap 2030 report highlighted that "renewable technologies are now the most economic solution for new capacity in an increasing number of countries and regions." This was attributed to the declining cost to deliver electricity from solar photovoltaics (PV), concentrated solar power (CSP) and wind, meanwhile hydropower, biomass… Continue reading Renewable Power is Cost Competitive
The Islands of the Caribbean are known to have some of the highest electricity rates in the world, with the exception of only a few. The following chart shows the average price of retail electricity across the region. Â Thesecan be linked to, some extent, the existent of monopoly electricity markets in the region. The high… Continue reading Island Electricity Market Liberalization
Over the past couple of years I have listened to cries emanating from all sectors of the society to break the monopoly held by the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) on the nation's electricity market. The Honorable Minister, himself, Phillip Paulwell, has echoed similar sentiments and has publicly underscored his intention to break up the monopoly -… Continue reading Solar PPA – the straw to break the supply monopoly
In this post, the sequel to JPS 2k13 Tariff Adjustment - impact analysis part 1, I will make good on my promise to provide detail impact analyses of the proposed 10.35% increase of JPS's non-fuel rates across the different class of customers. It turns out that in the submission to the OUR, JPS gave sample… Continue reading JPS 2k13 Tariff Adjustment – impact analysis part 2
This has never been done before, at least not by me! In this post I will attempt to break down and assess, for the purpose of the readers, JPS's Annual Tariff Adjustment Submission to the OUR (Office of Utilities Regulations) for an increase in the Non-Fuel Base Rates for electricity for the period June 1,… Continue reading JPS 2k13 Tariff Adjustment – impact analysis part 1
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