Minister gets ‘bright’ idea at Caribbean forum
(CNS): The concept of a solar powered water plant caught the attention of Cayman’s deputy premier recently at the Seventh Ministerial UK-Caribbean Forum in St George’s, Grenada. Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, who is also the public works minister, said of the many issues discussed at the forum she was "particularly interested in the difference stages of nation building some countries were in” and pointed to St Kitts and its efforts to implement a water unit that was almost all solar powered.
“This would be great for the Cayman Islands and I am hoping to take a technical team there later this year to examine the feasibility of this water project,” she said. “If we can apply it to the Cayman Islands, it would save money and greatly assist the farming community."
Representing Cayman on behalf of the premier at the regional event, O’Connor-Connolly denied that it was just a talking shop. “It was good to convene with my political colleagues from the Caribbean and the UK who shared the same goals for enhancement of partnership through the region,” she said, adding that delegates rolled up their “respective sleeves and the deliberations were fruitful and productive.”
Economic issues, food and border security, climate change and foreign policy matters were on the agenda, as well as the Air Passenger Duty (APD) which remains a controversial issue as the rates are considerably higher for British passengers heading to the Caribbean than those to competitor destinations in the US.
The tax on economy long-haul flights of more than 6,000 miles will rise from £85 (US$132) to £92 (US$143) per person in April this year. Caribbean governments, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) say the four band APD system has a negative impact on what was already a fragile regional economy
The tax is considered discriminatory against the Caribbean and places the Caribbean at a disadvantage in relation to other tourism destinations. William Hague the UK foreign secretary has agreed to further talks about the tax but has made no commitment about reductions.
He did affirm the strong ties however between the UK and the Caribbean and his desire to “renew the relationship” between the countries.
“The factthat he reiterated an open-door policy for Caribbean nations was especially comforting,” O’Connor-Connolly said.
Category: Politics
No, no, no! Juju, Juju!! You are chasing after the wrong energy resource.
Why bother with solar energy when an amazingly abundant source of free and endlessly renewable energy is right under your nose? Literally.
Hot air!
You and Mac and the UDP have the answer to the entire world's energy needs. Seems like you love sharing it whenever and wherever possible. So let's do the world a favour and see if we can harness it for some good, because God knows all your hot air is pretty worthless as it is.
Think of all of it that has been wasted over the years. My, my, my!
Here is the plan: We will incorporate a Hot Air Collection Device (HACD) in the microphones of the Legislative Assembly Building and at public meetings. An insulated conduit will deliver the hot air directly to CUC where it will power specially adapted generators. The entire island will have nearly free power.
Vaampt motors will adapt their propane vehicles to run on hot air, and we will install free hot air top-up stations adjacent to the L.A. building. We will provide Mac's bodyguard with a personal HACD and he will be instructed to place it over Mac's head and activate it whenever Mac opens his mouth. That source alone could probably provide enough surplus energy that we could export some. Better yet, Mac could hold his public meetings and press conferences in a special Hot Air Containment Room (HACR) right at CUC where a duct would deliver it directly to the generators.
The Constitution will be amended to mandate that all political speeches must take place only within the confines of a HACR. We will be the first country in the world to be entirely energy independent!
The Cayman Islands will be the founding member of OHAEC – the Organisation of Hot Air Exporting Countries – and we will assist other countries using our vast expertise in production and harnessing of hot air. We will have found a good use for Mac after all!
Speaking of climate change being on the agenda: did the forum in Grenada disclose the fact that the Cayman Islands Parliament has been identified as a significant contributor to greenhouse gasses and global warming? Properly harnessing and utilising Mac's continual and abundant hot air spews would have a significant effect on cooling the global climate.If Mac's and Juju's HACD's were soundproof it would have the welcome additional benefit of lessening the quantity of mindless BS noise pollution the people of these islands are exposed to.
Ok, Juju, the ball is in your court! I am expecting my power bill to go down to near zero once we have the hot air collection infrastructure going and you are fitted with your HACD.
Excellent! Ju Ju, would you also please consider a very large grant to help this guy develop a CACD to keep our country abundantly and permanently supplied with free cool air?
That would be nice, solar power; who would have thought that this sunny island could benefit from this "new" technology. Never too late either, you know, cause it's like so close to elections again!
Pardon my cynicism(I do believe it would be a great step forward for these Islands and planet), I just don't trust this Govt could organise an egg hunt much less a project of this magnitude.
"Time will tell"
Happy B-Day Bob
Solar-powered flashlights will be her next "bright" idea.
leaders of our government should have been on this long ago but they have no brain.
A solar power electricity plant can power the island and the desalination plant :O
"Different stages of nation building" = "Less oversight into politicians' activities"
Mac likes independence more now he realises what we have means that there is transparency, review of spending and a lack of direct political control of the police.
Come on guys, the lady is actually earning .05 percent of her paycheck here. Thats a HUGE improvement over spending millions of our dollars on hurricane shelters to ensure she gets re-elected now isn't it?
Ju Ju, heres a great idea, because I know you ministers are busy people, and you want to stop unnecessary spending:
Yes, renewable energy is a great idea, and not just to power water desalination. That’s a given, so you don’t need to even send an underling to St Kitts let alone go yourself , and take it from me, I’ve been there and there is NO shopping!
So, just get your assistant to get some info on line, to give you some idea what needs doing, get the suppliers you discover online to do a couple of proposals with rough costing, and then see if the broad idea appeals. Then if the idea gets votes from your cabinet, get proper evaluations done in accordance with government guidelines ( Mac can point you in the right direction).
If you start off this way, you can get an idea if it is worth spending more money and all without getting out of your busy ministerial office. Good idea? Give me a call, I can give you lots of pointers on how to be a better minister for your country, and all without travelling all over the place.
Heck, she doesn't even have to go online. There are half a dozen Cayman Coimpanies involved in renewable energy that would be happy to discuss the many options that are available to help move this country away from fossil fuels.
She’s very bold to blatantly use the term ‘nation building’, after what it has come to mean here. These people have no fear and no shame!
Poster you are right. Also, I dont believe the Deputy Minister has any interest in farmers either. Its a lot of Bull what she is saying. As a farmer, I have been trying for years for permission from her to use a Government road to properly access my farm and not have to back my cassava, plantains and bananas some 800 feet to my car.
She could have saved a lot of money by getting the information onthe internet.
Oh, so she has to go to Grenada to have this revellation, when myself and others have been saying the same thing here on CNS for years…
SMH
Can anyone please tell me what she has done to earn her salary…apart from pave a few private carparks???
Oooops forgot how is the Brac hurricane Hilton doing??
Can anyone please tell me what she has done to earn her salary…apart from pave a few private carparks???
Here's another BRIGHT IDEA……RESIGN!
I wonder if we'll ever hear anything more about how the Cayman Islands benefited from that huge entourage to the Far East a few months back.
I believe she did predict that Barcelon would win La Liga after her holiday there.
OMG DING DING DING the light ball came on…look what we have running our country….did she wash anyone's feet while she was away again……
Yup, that will go right alongside the windmills powering the Brac's electrical system. NOT!
She needs to visit Israel, they've not only been using solar energy for over 30 years but it used to be (I haven't been out that way for while) mandatory to install at least solar water heating in all new buildings.
Even in the UK (where it is currently freezing but with blue skies and bright sunshine) solar panels are appearing everywhere.
Why am I NOT surprised that the Minister with responsibility for communications technology is going to take a technical team to St. Kitts (on holiday) instead of asking them to email her the details of their solar project?
I'm sure that once the trip is over they will have come up with ways to overcome technical hurdles such as the sun rising in St. Kitts a full hour before it rises in Cayman.
Too funny! Glad she is not actually doing something. Nothing but trouble there. Did she lock up the new SUV keys when she left?
How about electricity now also? Oh, wait that light bulb is not bright enough yet.i
Biggest hurdle to solar and wind in these islands is the policy directions of the ERA and the the Utiltiy continuing to act as if it was a monopoly. Never guess which minister is in charge of that portfolio. Get rid of the T&D exclusive license and lets join the rest of the world in policies that promote the use of renewable energy before no one can afford to live here anymore.
Oh, Holy crap! Boy she is green
Just don't accuse her of being red.
Wm Hague: " NIce ensemble you're wearing this year Ju-ju, although one might say it looks a little like a set of curtains?……"
Queen Juju: "Well, I saw it in the window and just HAD to have it!………………"
Oh god, don't give the woman any ideas. Before you know it, she'll have a personal stylist on her payroll too!
Who ever she consults about her wardrobe should be FIRED!! did she not look in the mirror before she went out? Holy crap!!!
Developing technical skills in SOLAR in the labour force now will payoff immensely in the future. Everybody knows that Coal/Gas are only interim to solar and clean energy. Too bad there are still some old-timers(even at University Colleges) clinging to only teaching oil/gas technologies in their classrooms.