CMU cuts power costs after April solar plant launch

Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) is already recording multimillion-dollar cuts to its electricity costs after a solar installation commissioned in April began delivering power, relative to the same months a year earlier.

Abu Dhabi Energy Company provided US$1.37 million ($217 million) for the venture once the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund (CREF) settled the project’s scope. NxZen, a global technology consulting and engineering firm based in the United Kingdom, won the contract and brought in Jamaican firm Elite Contractors to carry out the work in 2024.

CMU president Professor Andrew Spencer said construction finished in March, followed by testing and commissioning in April. By day, the campus runs completely off the national grid on solar power alone. At night, when load is lighter, it ties back into the grid.

Spencer said the financial impact showed up almost at once, with March and April bills both below the corresponding months last year.

“What we’ve essentially seen immediately is the reduction in our energy bill,” he told The Gleaner. “Obviously, it’s not going to be massive initially, but for example, in March, when you compare, year over year, last year to this year, our energy bill was $3.9 million. This year for March, it was $3.3 million. In April, it got even better. April last year our bill was $3.7 million. This year April, the bill was $2.1 million, a reduction of $1.6 million in our monthly electricity bill.”

He described the outcome as meaningful for an institution that presents itself as technology-driven and that places strong emphasis on environmental initiatives.

“We’re the only university to have a degree in marine biotechnology in our engineering faculty, and what that means is we are looking at energy solutions, we are looking at solutions to marine degradation and erosion, we’re looking at green hydrogen, we’re looking at blue hydrogen as a source of fuel, we’re looking at nuclear. We have our own nuclear facility being set up now, so the idea is we’ve always had a passion and a penchant for alternative energy sources, and so we have to live it.”

Spencer noted that CMU has for years advanced alternative energy through its academic offerings, among them a short certificate programme in solar engineering.

“Now, how can we be teaching that and not living it? So we have decided to live it, and here we are. We are very pleased with it. The fringe benefit of it has been that we’ve created an additional 180 covered parking spaces because we’re using car ports, etc, to house the panels. So it’s a win-win-win.”

Elite Contractors managing director Shamar Atkinson said installation went ahead without major difficulty. The firm put in a 620kW system sized to supply the full campus and still leave spare generating capacity.