Minister Tours Renewable Energy Home

One Bermuda house isn’t just a home — it is also laboratory for sustainable energy technologies now available on the island. 

Minister of Environment, Planning and Infrastructure Strategy Walter Roban this week toured PureNERGY’s renewable energy model cottage in a bid to familiarise himself further with some of the renewable energy options available on the island.

Kevon Makell, the general manager and vice-president of PureNERGY, lives in Belmont Cottage in Warwick and led the tour of his eco-friendly home which incorporates three small-scale renewable technologies: solar thermal, solar photovoltaic panels and a wind turbine that provide the electricity requirements of the Makell family.

Minister Roban said: “I was greatly impressed by Mr. Makell’s tour. It shows that the dream of running a household through self-sustaining means can be a reality. I look forward to touring more such model homes in the near future and encouraging both companies and private citizens to consider the advantages of these technologies.”

The Minister added: “In particular I was struck by the unobtrusive nature of the solar panels – they were very discreet. From the road, you would not even know that this house was any different from the one next door in terms of its abilities as an energy generating entity.”

Permanent Secretary Dr. Derrick Binns as well as the staff from the Department of Energy also took part in the tour.

The Department of Energy observed: “The PureNERGY House is an excellent example for the public to see what kinds of renewable technologies may be applicable to their particular location and needs. We are grateful to PureNERGY for the opportunity to see wind, solar PV and solar thermal applications in a real setting in real time. We hope to see more homes throughout Bermuda integrate these options for our island’s greener future. We would note that although these technologies eventually give us free, sustainable, renewable energy, they are not in themselves an excuse for maintaining wasteful habits. Hand in hand with green technologies must come efforts to conserve and make the most efficient use of the energy we consume, be it fossil generated, from the sun, or from the wind.”

The cottage’s ceiling fans, refrigerator and outlets are all tied to the renewable system so that in the event of a power outage the Makell family still has sustainable power which can pick up the critical load from BELCO in millisecond.

Belmont Cottage also acts as a kind of ‘test house’ for measuring things like the effects of weatherization, and its state-of-the-art monitoring system updates itself every 15 minutes to let the homeowners know which natural resource is providing the most power at a given time.

Mr. Makell said: “PureNERGY was pleased to host Minister Roban, Permanent Secretary Binns and Department of Energy Director Jeane Nikolai and her staff at the Belmont Cottage renewable energy generating test site in Warwick. The Minister was actively engaged during the tour as he examined the 1.5 kW hybrid Solar Photovoltaic/Solar Thermal Water Heating and Micro-Wind Generating System which operates both on and off-grid, using batteries for energy storage capability.”

He added: “The Minister clearly sees the need to advance renewables to address security and reliability of energy supply, and the need for affordable alternative energy solutions that can save consumers money as they seek to change their energy consumption patterns.”

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Category: All, Environment