Anguilla, which is leading the Caribbean region in a Mobile Energy Storage pilot project, has already put the initiative to test in three areas of the island.
Mr. Alec Macklis, CEO of Gridspin Energy, told The Anguillian newspaper on Wednesday, December 11, that the project involved battery systems that could be moved from site to site. They could be recharged whether from a grid, generator or solar power.
“These can be really valuable when moving to critical facilities when needed,” he explained. “They can be valuable by enabling Government to meet its renewable energy goals by having them in certain locations for solar power. One of the reasons we got involved with Anguilla is the lessons learnt from Hurricane Irma – and how having these systems could have helped in the recovery efforts with the power lines down and strengthening critical facilities.”
Mr. Macklis, said Gridspan Energy and the Government of Anguilla had just completed testing work at Government Headquarters in the former NBA Building. The next sites are the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport and the Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant at Crocus Bay. “I think a big goal for us and Government is to use this as the first project of its kind in the region,” he explained. “It is the best way to overcome the barriers of getting energy storage in places that make the most sense like diesel-burning islands with great sun resources. It makes a lot of sense for resiliency and redundancy. We are now hoping to get the word out to be able to get a bunch of different types of support and grants to grow this project.”
Mr. Macklis said that while the first phase of the project involved the above three sites, the goal was to secure a lot of international money to figure out how to do island energy transitions in a reliable and sustainable, resilient way. “We are hoping that this can really become a kind of lighthouse project to get a lot of that support,” he went on. “That is why it is really important for us to get this on an online link so that we can spread the word to show people, especially in the Eastern Caribbean region, where this project makes so much sense.”
Gridspan Energy is based in Boston, Massachusetts. According to the CEO, the company is spending half a million dollars from fundraisers to test and develop the technology. It was tested in Oregon in the North-western United States and is now deployed in Anguilla.
Grispan Energy is working with the Government of Anguilla through the island’s Department of Environment. Mr. Macklis, the CEO, was accompanied to the office of The Anguillian newspaper where he spoke about the project in Anguilla.
Mr. Dallan Connor, an official at the department, commented: “I am part of the Anguilla Government’s Energy Efficiency Team. One of the main aspects or mechanisms we are looking at is trying to have the Government self-sustainable and energy-sufficient. We met Alec sometime in 2018. When he told us about the project, he thought that this would fit in well in the grand scheme of things of the Government going forward. This is part of the bigger picture in which we are also looking at solar-powered vehicles, energy-efficiency buildings. We are just moving towards energy-independence with a series of projects.”
