Hello again. What a month February has been. We successfully held the full-dayRenewable Energy Venture Development Academy (REVDA) course at the Renewable Energy World North America Conference and Expo in Long Beach, California, February 13. Attendees came from as far away as Saipan, where a physician has installed solar panels on his two dialysis centers and reduced the monthly electricity bill from $21,000 to $3,000. With such significant savings, he expects his $95,000 investment in the solar photovoltaic (PV) system to pay for itself in less than six months. His reason to attend the REVDA course was to learn how he could start a business in the renewable energy sector doing solar installations in Saipan. We often think of PV systems being expensive with 20 plus year paybacks, but that is all relative to the cost of energy one has to pay. Residents of many island nations as well as U.S. territories such as Saipan and even Hawaii, typically pay extremely high prices for electricity, exceeding $0.45 per kilowatt-hour in some cases! Entrepreneurs like the physician from Saipan are looking at niche opportunities where generating renewable energy is very cost effective and does not have to be justified or supported by incoherent policies.

While in California, I also had the opportunity to tour a 36 megawatt power generation plant which processes and burns about 1,400 tons of municipal solid waste per day around the Long Beach area and sells the power back to the city. This plant is able to provide renewable energy for approximately 35,000 homes on a continuous basis. Economics of such facilities depend on the disposal cost of waste and will vary from region to region.

SBS staff members also met with a Turkish trade delegation in Jackson, Mississippi, and discussed the potential to support renewable energy projects in Turkey.   The national government has set an aggressive goal of clean energy providing 30 percent of its power supply by the year 2023 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Turkish republic.  

More locally, we had a chance to interface with scientists and researchers at the annual meeting of the  Mississippi Academy of Sciences and a wide variety of individuals at the 3rd Annual Sustainable Living Conference.  Additionally, it is exciting to hear about the  SmartSynch/Itron merger, as SmartSynch has had more than a decade long relationship with the Mississippi Technology Alliance. 

Finally, be sure to read the exclusive SBS interview with the president of a venture capital firm based in New York and stay tuned in March for what is happening with the Mississippi Biomass and Renewable Energy Council.

Sumesh Arora, Ph.D.