BASSETERRE, St. Kitts -– Minister of Public Infrastructure, Deputy Prime Minister the Honourable Shawn Richards, in an effort to bring awareness to alternative sources of energy, and in particular green energy, commended the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) for the innovative conversion of its parking lot into a solar farm.

Hon. Richards addressed Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College students during a tour of the ECCB solar farm on November 17, organized by the Department of Energy as part of its celebration of Energy Month.

“While it is that you are able to park, if you look on top of the ceiling for the parking area, you will recognise that you have solar panels on it … which would enable the bank to generate most of the power that is utilised at the bank,” said Hon. Richards,

“As a matter of fact, the bank is producing sufficient [energy] that it will wish to sell back to St. Kitts Electricity Company (SKELEC),” he said. ”They can take that additional power into the grid and begin to utilise it to power homes and businesses.”

“Fossil fuels create a number of disadvantages in areas such as cost, availability, and emissions,” he said. “However, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis is looking toward becoming greener in terms of the production and consumption of energy with the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank providing a good example of what is being done in terms of solar.”

He further specified that although the Federation may have green energy, it may not get to the point where St. Kitts and Nevis relies solely on it. Professionals at the SKELEC suggest that the best thing to have is a combination of both diesel and green energy.”