Leaders from the Anguilla Electricity Company Ltd. (ANGLEC) answer the call to develop a more resilient and energy efficient region at the CARILEC Renewable Energy Community (CAREC) 2018 Renewable Energy and Smart Grid Conference.
Officials from ANGLEC attending this year’s CAREC conference include Mr. Harold Ruan, Chairman of the Board, Mr. David Gumbs, Chief Executive Officer, and Mr. Sylvan Brooks, Systems Control Engineer.
The annual conference has gathered researchers, thought leaders, utility professionals, renewable energy experts and vendors in Miami, Florida, from September 22nd – 27th, 2018 under the theme; “Energy Resilience and Independence”.
Together, these specialists delve deeply into renewable energy resilience issues, such as transforming utilities for the environmental threats that are reshaping our region. Through interactive workshops, networking activities and practical demonstrations, attendees create resiliency plans and new methods to support sustainable energy production and management. Following the effects of Hurricane Irma, ANGLEC has taken a deliberate stance to rebuild while improving upon the existing infrastructure and renewable energy plans for Anguilla.
Though Hurricane Irma caused unprecedented destruction, it also equipped ANGLEC with first-hand experiences that significantly enrich ongoing regional deliberations and decisions on energy resilience. This new vantage point allows C.E.O Mr. Gumbs to join this year’s esteemed cohort of presenters that consists of utility management, innovation practitioners, researchers and government officials. By sharing current research and best practices, presenters emphasize the urgency to evolve and respond to a changing industry, vulnerable to an increasingly complex and volatile environment.
Mr. Gumbs will make a feature presentation alongside Mr. Chris Burgess, Director of Projects, at the Rocky Mountain Institute on the White Paper entitled: Solar Under Storm: Designing Hurricane-Resilient PV Systems. The collaborative presentation was born of ANGLEC’s role in the recent engineering study conducted by the Rocky Mountain Institute and CARILEC. The study analyzed the dynamics that led to the failure of solar farms in the region and the design and engineering elements needed to improve resiliency.
Mr. Gumbs expressed his enthusiasm to collaborate with the many conference attendees: “Having comprehensive discussions with regional regulators gives us invaluable insight and allows us the opportunity to make our contributions to the development of the region. At ANGLEC one of our main goals is to become a model energy provider within the Caribbean. Despite the challenges we face at home, we can now share our knowledge as we rebuild better and stronger. Our hope is that through this conference and other strategic incentives we can create an effective blueprint of sustainable grid modernization, renewable energy integration and innovation.”
The current challenges of integrating variable renewable energy, particularly in small island systems, can be overcome. The path to 100% diesel free operations is most impeded by our financial constraints. Mr. Brooks (ANGLEC’s Systems Control Engineer) has confidence in new technologies and the growing possibilities in the renewable energy landscape.
Mr. Brooks remarked that: “Renewable energy, storage along with monitoring and control systems are continually improving. These enhancements will enable us to increase our renewable energy penetration in our upcoming rebuild. Our operational experience with ANGLEC’s 1.1 megawatt (MW) solar farm has given us invaluable insight to guide our expansion decisions. We now seize the opportunity to design our new solar farm to be category-5 hurricane resilient, to increase the capacity and add storage for frequency and voltage regulation/grid stabilization. We plan to install approximately 400 kw of battery storage that will enable the redesigned solar farm to deliver its maximum output power with minimal fluctuations. ANGLEC also plans to install up to 4 MW of wind power in the near future. Wind power will supplement our solar power and enable us to increase our renewable energy penetration. We anticipate that within 5 to 7 years it can achieve a renewable energy penetration of at least 30 percent.”
Addressing the pervasive issues of energy sustainability is of immense importance to everyone at
ANGLEC, not only because of what it means for the company, but also the community at large. Through the support of ANGLEC’s Board of Directors, ANGLEC continues to explore infrastructure diversification and reduce the dependence on traditional energy generation resources; a shift that will ultimately carry lighter economic and environmental consequences.
As thought-leaders push the envelope on utility transformation in the Caribbean, ANGLEC is proud to represent Anguilla by playing a vital role in regional development and delivering on the pursuit of resilience and prosperity amid difficulty.
– Press Release
