Nature Seekers Matura turtle site gets solar power

After three decades of using generators, Nature Seekers will have, for the first time, a reliable source of solar power at its sea turtle nesting site in Matura.

Nature Seekers monitors and tags endangered leatherback turtles that return annually to nest along the shores of TT.

A small-scale roof-mounted solar (PV) system was installed at its facility under an initiative by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+).

The Nature Seekers solar power system, formally commissioned on Wednesday, is one of 12 being installed in communities across TT.

Nature Seekers MD Suzan Lakhan-Baptiste said the solar project will save hundreds of dollars in operating costs, as generators are costly to acquire and maintain The cost in savings, she explained would go towards the establishment of a homework centre for the village of Matura as a lot of parents are unemployed and single parent, “We want to help the kids in our community by introducing technology such as laptops and computers to help them stay connected.”

Planning and Development Minister Pennelope Beckles-Robinson said the initiative signifies a milestone to deploying renewable energy in rural communities. She said, “This component includes the installation of rooftop-scale solar energy systems in remote communities, as well as RE/EE-conducive policy and legislative framework, and the raising of public awareness in relation to energy efficiency. The overall aim is to assist TT in increasing the availability and use of energy from renewable sources, as well as to increase the efficiency levels in the consumption of energy.”

Peter Cavendish, EU Ambassador to TT stated, “This solar project falls under the EU’s Green Deal, that includes the Global Climate Change Alliance Plus Initiative (GCCA+). For those of you who may not be aware, the EU has set very ambitious goals to combat climate change – to achieve 55 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, with a longer-term vision to make the bloc climate neutral by 2050. The Green Deal is our roadmap to make those climate ambitions a reality.”

The installations, according to Gerado Noto, UNDP Resident Representative, is being supported with a budget of 2.4 million euros or just over TT$16 million.

“The solar installations are part of a larger project to assist TT in meeting its global commitment under the Paris Agreement. Through its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), Trinidad and Tobago has agreed to reduce carbon emission by an overall 15 per cent by 2030. The target of the GCCA+ project is to produce 10 per cent or 268,056 kWh/annum of the country’s total electricity output from renewable sources, such as solar.”