The Renewable Energy Blog

My wife and I returned from a much needed trip to Aruba a few weeks ago. It was where we spent our honeymoon 5 years ago and it took some saving to get back. And, of course, thanks to her parents and their timeshare.

Being that we’re all energy conscious, one of the most notable things is that the island is ripe for both wind and solar power.

The average yearly wind speed is 20 knots (23 miles per hour) and gets has high as 25-30 knots (29 – 35 miles per hour).  And Aruba is a desert island. The sun shines almost all the time with the island receiving just 16.1 inches of rain each year.

So why do they create 100% of their electricity from fossil fuels?

As typical, we spent a lot of time sight-seeing, checking out the rock formations, caves, and other attractions and I kept a sharp eye out for solar panels and/or wind turbines. Nothing. Nada. Zip. And I kept hearing natives complain about the high cost of energy (gasoline is selling at around $5 per gallon) and visitors commenting about the energy tax added to their bills – even the timeshare bills.

This country is just begging for solar and wind power. Aruba could easily create enough energy to reduce their oil imports by half. and possibly stop all together. It makes you wonder if there is a way to transfer power from the island to the main land. Even if they skipped over Venezuela (15 miles south) and sent it to Columbia which is not much further. I can only guess that the reason they haven’t done it so far is due to lack of investors.

But times are a changin’ really fast…

And I’ve only found one reference online to suggest that any companies are making an attempt, and that was back in 2004. "U.S. Wind Farming has approached Aruba, St. Croix and several other Caribbean Islands to install Wind Energy Electricity/Hydrogen Cooperatives. Final negotiations and contracts are forthcoming. "

Links:

http://www.nationmaster.com/country/aa-aruba/ene-energy

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/world/country/cntry_AA.html