The Editor, Sir:

Hurricane Dean has again raised the issue of water and energy and their supply and security in Jamaica. Can it be done in a more effective manner than being done at present? The distress created by the lack of light and water in many residential areas threatened to become new disasters in themselves. The lack of light threatened a crime wave; the lack of water, a public health epidemic. I think that the impact of a hurricane and the recovery time may be lessened if solar cell energy generation is more widely utilised.

There are a number of general reasons to implement solar-based energy generation. A few are as follows:

1. Less carbon emissions to contribute to global warming and the resulting frequent and severe hurricanes;

2. Less reliance on imported fossil fuels, which in turn means (a) less recurrent foreign exchange spent on oil imports; (b) less vulnerability to international oil-related crises; and

3 with the Kyoto protocol in the reduction of greenhouse gases.

If residences are equipped with energy-generating solar cells, then the following benefits may accrue:

1. Less national vulnerability to loss of energy supply due to degradation of a central power plant;

2. A less exposed energy delivery system - no wires or posts over vast distances or radiation from substations;

3. No leakage of electricity transported over vast distances and no need for boosts by substations;

4. Less danger of electrocution caused by loose wires or illegal abstraction and

5. Less possibility or incidence of illegal abstraction (the entire system would have to be stolen to 'steal' electricity).

If NWC pumps, water and sewerage treatment plants are powered by solar cells then any resumption of service after a disaster will not depend on an electricity provider. Thus, the more essential utility of water will be more readily restored and supply not held hostage by the unavailability of electricity.]

Insurance option

Indeed, the present fossil fuel-based electricity generation system may be relegated to that of a supplementary or an insurance optionfor private residences and only used on a constant basis by factories and large buildings.

I suggest that our energy policy adopt in a more aggressive way the systematic substitution of fossil fuel-based energy generation with solar-based energy generation, starting with the NWC systems and then essential services such as the hospitals, prisons and police stations.

For private residences, along with the already present tax breaks on solar-based technology, they may be afforded loans at the lowest interest rate to finance wide-scale implementation. For these loans, there is the option of getting funding from a developed country that needs to earn credits to offset against its agreed emissions reduction target under the U.N. Kyoto protocol.

I urge that we take this proactive and preventive step in dealing with another hurricane and its effects.

I am, etc.,

PETER ANGLIN

peteranglin@hotmail.com

Ensom City

Spanish Town

Via Go-Jamaica