Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Power Going Up
The Virgin Islands power supply comes from WAPA (Water and Power Authority). All of the power is generated using fossil fuels. As you can imagine, getting the fuel here is more expensive than in other places. The average price per Kw hour in the United States is 9.09 cents. Here in the Virgin Islands, it is now 55 cents per kwh. In June a 22% increase was approved. Just this week, another 19% increase was approved. So in three months, we have gone from 36 to 55 cents. That kind of increase is unheard of anywhere else. The second increase really has people wondering how the island, its residents and businesses, are going to cope. Another price increase has been the Ferry companies adding an additional $1.10 to every passenger ticket for a fuel surcharge. The VI Daily News did an article before the increase. Click Here to Read.
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1 comment:
I haven't been to Maho in a number of years (boy do I miss it!) so I can't remember. Do you have any solar energy systems installed? Since the price per kwh is so high on St John I'd imagine a solar pv system would be worth it's weight in gold. Also consider a solar thermal system to provide your hot water needs. I have on on my house in New York and it's wonderful! Solar thermal systems are much less expensive, especially in areas where freezing isn't a concern. I hope you've already taken the leap!
Best,
Billy Sarokin
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