Today Editorial: Getting access to solar

The private sector is taking lead on implementing renewable energy on St.Maarten. The latest example of that leadership is Lee's Roadside Grill. The restaurant, which has a long history as one of the best local food restaurants in the country ,is now documented as an environmentally friendly business that is harnessing one of the key attractions of the Caribbean- the warm sunshine.

 Because a project  on the scale of what Lee's Roadside Grill has done is unnecessary and inaccessible to the average homeowner, we believe that government needs to pressure utility provider GEBE to create a project where people mount panels on their home that feed the entire grid, thus making the entire island a sun harvesting farm. There's also the option of having discussions with the banks to see if they will offer low interest rates on loans for people to get their own panels. As we saw at Lee's ,the savings on the utility bill will allow people to quickly repay their investment. The fact is solar is a feasible option. What we need now is a greater access to the technology.