Early this month saw the long-anticipated debate in the States of Deliberation on our island’s Electricity Strategy.
The Little Green Energy Company alongside the Energy partnership had worked closely with Government for nearly five years on this policy and strategy, which was finally debated and approved.
Bob Beebe, the CEO of the Little Green Energy Company, explains why he supported E&I’s policy letter ahead of the debate in the States of Deliberation on the Electricity Strategy and why it was so important.
We’re using more electricity
“Everything is switching to electric, says Bob.” Cars, bicycles and home heating – and we now have a plan for where this electricity will come from.
What’s been approved is pragmatic and deliverable – a mix of on-island solar PV, offshore wind (or whatever tech that best suits our island in future, including marine energy), a second subsea cable and aiming for net zero emissions by 2050.
Why is it so important?
It was clear that doing nothing would be costlier and riskier in the long run.
“We were getting left behind by innovation in the energy industry and had no plans for how we would meet this increasing demand for electricity.
Who wants to do business on an island who is relying on an old diesel power station more and more?”
Now, the strategy offers both certainty and flexibility, ensuring supply security while effectively decarbonising our island’s electricity. This allows all stakeholders to be able to plan for the future, from businesses to individual islanders.
It’s time for more solar
The policy letter has opened up the solar market – incentivising personal investment in solar PV systems and removing standby tariffs for larger renewable systems, encouraging low carbon energy investments in homes and businesses.
This was about giving a clear investment direction to local energy companies and the wider business community and islanders to commit to decarbonising the island’s energy and transportation systems.
The Future
This was a monumental step in the right direction. It offers our children and their children a future where they could say that we made the right choices for our island’s energy and environmental sustainability.
Finding out more
Learn more about Little Green Energy Company’s services and support here.
If you’re interested in understanding more about our islands infrastructure and how it can enable economic growth come to next months Chamber Lunch on the 3rd October
