A qualified solar professional will discuss alternative energy at the Bermuda College on Thursday.

The free lecture, hosted by the Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce and the Bermuda College, is the final Eco Lunch & Learn presentation of the season.

Nick Hutchings, a certified North American Energy Practitioner who volunteers with Sunny Side Solar, will highlight the advantages of solar energy to Bermuda.

Amy Harvey, an earth and environmental science lecturer at Bermuda College, said solar energy was an “ideal renewable energy source for our island that would be supported as one of the main components of our energy portfolio”.

She added: “This will take buy-in from the residents as well as top down support from the Government.

“Making it affordable and feasible will be the solution going forward.”

Jennifer Flood, BEST’s executive officer, said solar power in the Government’s low-cost housing facilities would keep household energy costs down and help the island reach Zero Carbon by 2030.

A statement from BEST said solar power was “a great investment, payback in five to eight years depending on self-consumption”.

The group called it “great for the environment” with 150 tonnes less of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere for the life of an average system.

The statement added that the energy is “great for public health, the Union of Concerned Scientists puts the hidden public health cost of burning oil to generate electricity at $0.13/kWh, and it’s great for the economy, it reduces the multimillion dollar per year public health cost of burning oil plus the multimillion dollar per year cost of imported oil”.

Refreshments will be served during the lecture, which will take place in the College’s Athene Room H100 from 1pm to 2pm and will be followed by a Q and A session.

People can also tune into the presentation on Facebook and YouTube and e-mail [email protected] for more information.

The Royal Gazette, April 22, 2024: https://www.royalgazette.com/environment/news/article/20240422/talk-to-highlight-solar-energy-on-thursday/