Premier and Minister responsible for Climate Change Dr. the Honourable Natalio Wheatley says his government intends to press the BVI Electricity Corporation (BVIEC) to have it introduce a project to equip roofs of homes and buildings across the territory with solar panels.
Premier Wheatley made the statement at a recent press conference in response to a question posed by 284 Media.
He said the initiative will be part of his government’s strategy of transitioning to renewable energy products as it aims to go green.
The BVIEC will not be the only entity to be pressed regarding similar renewable energy initiatives as the premier indicated that the pressing will be on a general scale to ensure his government is on the right side in the battle against climate change.
Premier Wheatley said discussions have already commenced on the prospect of introducing the necessary infrastructure to facilitate the increased use of renewable energy products such as the charging ports that will be needed for electric and hybrid vehicles.
The premier first made mention of the initiative in July 2022 as he expressed his government’s long-term plan to focus on renewable energy and initiatives which can contribute as alternative sources to fuel-based energy.
He said, “We have to explore what we can do in terms of alternative energy. Of course, we have the access to the sun, the wind, and the water. We can’t really control what’s happening with the cost of fuel but we can control how we utilise the energy from the sun and other alternative sources.”
“In addition to whatever relief we are exploring given as it pertains to electricity, we are also exploring how we can stimulate persons and encourage them to be able to have solar panels on their roofs and how we can put them on government buildings. We’ve put solar panels on a number of government buildings either through partnerships with other stakeholders or through government directly. We want to continue that,” he further explained.