An up-close look of the floating fountain which caught the attention of passers-by on Saturday night in the Careenage.
PERSONS passing by the Careenage on Saturday night were amazed by a small representation of what is intended to be larger attraction in the City of Bridgetown, hopefully in the near future.
The Barbados Association of Energy Professionals (BAEP), in its bid to promote the use of renewable energy in a way that it can be observed by the general public, tested a small floating fountain just off Independence Square.
If all goes according to plan, it could be a prototype of a larger solar powered fountain, which the association believes could be yet another attraction that brings more people into Bridgetown.
The small floating fountain was tethered to the side of the inner basin in a way that it could be moved to the side of the Careenage and away from any boats if the need arose.
President of the BAEP, Dr. Erwin Edwards told the Barbados Advocate that the organisation has recently gained initial approval from the UNDP Small Grants Fund to proceed with a full proposal for the installation of a portable water fountain in the Bridgetown Careenage. He noted that this would be on the eastern side, behind the Fairchild Street Bus Terminal.
“So this smaller fountain is just a proof of concept, that it works, that it looks nice for the public. Having done this we can now pursue the bigger funds to do the big project.”
He said while the proposal will be made for one fountain, with the help of interested parties the project could be expanded into three fountains. Dr. Edwards noted that an interesting feature is that the lights can be changed to represent different events such Independence, Christmas of even Valentine’s Day adding to the ambiance of the area, which at present is mostly dark with little activity.
“It is simply intended to demonstrate that we can have a floating fountain in the Careenage that looks beautiful. We don’t have any working fountains in Bridgetown, so this would be added value to the beautification of Bridgetown,” he said, highlighting the high aesthetic and historic value as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
It is envisioned that solar fountains will showcase one of the many ways that solar energy can be used on the island. It is also expected that it will encourage stakeholders to invest in additional solar energy projects and as public awareness grows; there will be a greater use of solar energy and a decrease in more expensive and less environmentally friendly sources of energy.
The BAEP is the island’s only membership organisation for energy professional whose primary focus is the practice and development of Energy Auditing and other energy related opportunities in Barbados.(JH)