LEADERS of schools across the island are being encouraged to put in their proposals for an opportunity to have their institutions benefit from a renewable energy pilot project.
National Coordinator for the UNDP Small Grants Programme, David Bynoe, told The Barbados Advocate that “any school interested in the pilot project – whereby the school will be converted to be run completely by solar power – we will be willing to support it.”
Bynoe explained that there are several schools across Barbados currently consuming large amounts of electricity. He said these institutions can take advantage of the opportunity to reap the benefits of using the solar system, while serving as demonstration points.
“You have residents who take their children to these same schools and they will get to see the systems. Then there are social events that take place at these schools, so schools are a good point for piloting such an initiative where people can interact with it,” he explained.
The project called Energy with Co-benefits is a way of UNDP Small Grants Programme seeking to demonstrate to people how they can utilise renewable energy and the additional benefits that it brings.
“Additional benefits in terms of employment, generation of income, utilisation in creating alternative ways of producing products and reduction in the cost of production. So we are really looking at the co-benefits of energy,” he said.
“Not every person or entity that applies will necessarily be approved, but it depends on the project document. The proposal is critical, but we do have resources to address the needs of several schools, but it is based on an application and first come, first serve,” Bynoe further explained.
(AH)