¦ How late is Mauritius in the use of renewable energy, particularly wind and solar energy?

I would say that Mauritius is quite late. Except for bagasse, which is considered as renewable and hyro-generated electricity, Mauritius has not yet entered the era of modern renewable sources of energy. We cannot say that the country is not aware of these sources and their benefi ts. We started talking about wind energy on the island some 30 years ago when I was teaching at the University of Mauritius. Yet nothing has been done so far. Some people I met during my consultancy work here told me that it is necessary to analyse further the implication of solar farms in Mauritius. I could not help telling them that Mauritius has a severe problem with analysis. Too much analysis has led to the paralysis of major development projects on the island. But I should say that as far as wind energy is concerned, Rodrigues is already doing well. Around 4 % of the island’s electricity consumption comes from wind turbines installed by Aerowatt of France.

Reunion Island is also far ahead of Mauritius in wind and solar-generated electricity.

¦ Investment is very high when it comes to equipping one’s house with photovoltaic modules (PVM) to produce electricity. What would be the investment necessary for a solar farm and how many years would the investor take to get his money back?

Between 5 and 10 years, depending on the feed in tariff he will get from the CEB.

The panels and equipment should last for 20 years. So after 10 years, the investor works only for profit.

¦ How do you come to this figure?

To produce one watt of electricity with photovoltaic panels would cost 8 dollars, that is 4 dollars for the panel and another 4 dollars for freight and installation. So it would be around Rs 240 per watt, or 240 000 per kilowatt. There is no feed in tariff for those producing over 50 kilowatts. The grid code covers production below 50 kilowatts. The price at which the CEB will buy from those producing below 50 kilowatts is between 15 to 25 rupees per kilowatt hour, which is a very good price, given that you buy you electricity at around Rs 6 per kilowatt hour.

At that feed in tariff from the CEB, investors will take around 8 years to get their investment in a solar farm back.

¦ Added to the price of solar panels and inverters etc, there is a 15 % sales tax whereas in many countries, governments have not only waived all taxes on photovoltaic panels and wind turbines, but are giving subsidies for the purchase of these panels. Can we do without these incentives in Mauritius?

Incentives are important in this sector.

What I can say is that consultants will be hired to study the different incentives that should be given to the private sector. They may, however, take different forms. My job here is to look at all the difficulties – economic, administrative, technical etc – which are hampering the development of solar farms in Mauritius. I have already submitted my report to the Global Environmental Fund of the United Nations. The agency has earmarked two million dollars to help to remove all the barriers which are preventing Mauritius from going into solar energy. I think that by the beginning of next year, we should see things starting to move and the setting up of solar farms.

¦ Production of electricity with wind and solar energy would be limited, because if these types of electricity are fed in a high percentage to the national grid, it would make the electricity supply very unstable. How would you tackle this problem?

This is another problem that has to be tackled. Studies will soon be carried out to see what percentage of wind and solar energy can be fed to your national grid without making the supply unstable.

¦ Production of electricity with biogas generators is not an unstable source. What about this type of electricity production in Mauritius?

I have been involved with consultancy work for biogas production and use in Africa.

But most of the time, it concerned the setting up of biogas digestors to produce biogas for cooking and for lights specially manufactured to run on biogas. Big projects concerned hospitals and prisons, producing biogas from human waste. But here also, it was for cooking and heating purposes. Electricity can and is being produced with biogas, but the producers need a large herd of cattle to be self-sufficient in that type of electricity and to export to the national grid.

¦ Why is the United Nations Development Programme so involved in the development of solar energy in Mauritius?

The Global Environment Fund is involved in solving global warming problems. Electricity generation with fossil fuel is one source of greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation is another one. But we are tackling the problems one by one.

¦ Going into wind and solar electricity means harnessing new technologies – and Mauritius has not yet mastered these technologies ….

We are aware of the problem. I have already talked to many education sectors, including the University of Mauritius about training local people for installation, maintenance and operation of electric solar panels.

It would be a transfer of technology and I believe that Mauritius would not be able to produce solar cells or wind mills, though some emerging countries like China and India are already engaged in those types of production.

But I believe that solar cells could be assembled locally into modules and panels.

¦ What is the mindset of people in government and in the private sector concerning solar energy?

It is very encouraging to see that despite all the problems and hurdles in the path of those trying to enter solar electricity production, some companies have been brave enough to invest in this sector. The CEB is producing 2.2 kilowatts at its office in Rose-Hill, the IFS is producing 22 kilowatts at its offices in Ebène, and one filling station is also producing solar electricity in Mapou. Those that I have met are very open and I have had a lot of discussions. As I told you, I have been telling some people to stop analyzing and to start implementing. I see a lot of goodwill in government to implement solar energy projects. The awareness has already been created and I understand that loan facilities from France are now available through commercial banks for such projects. This is encouraging despite all the difficulties that exist. I am very hopeful for implementation as early as the beginning of next year.

Raj JUGERNAUTH