The TURNING MAURITIUS GREEN Initiative

The TURNING MAURITIUS GREEN Initiative is to encourage and support the Mauritian Government to implement the “Grid code” it has worked on, which will allow Mauritians to sell the surplus electricity that have been generated through renewable sources to the CEB. Arguments for:

1. To reduce our dependence on fossil fuels to generate electricity. Fuel prices which are condemned to rise due to the drying up of sources and scarcity.
2. To combat climate change and reduce green house effect gas emissions. When was the last time we were hit by a cyclone with winds over 200Km/h? How was this winter 2009 temperature, did you notice it was not as cold as it should have been.
3. To preserve our planet for future generations.
4. Sun energy is free; we are geographically well situated at 20 degrees latitude south to harvest this energy.
5. No reinvention of the wheel required as the technologies involved (Photovoltaic modules, Grid-tie Inverters, etc . . .) are already being used in countries like Germany, France, and Spain . . . The same applies to norms and safety regulations. In these countries households generate revenue by selling their surplus electricity to the utility company.
6. The utility companies, (CEB in Mauritius) do not have to invest in a separate network to purchase the electricity generated by individuals, it’s the same network or grid (electric cable) that is used to feed in the electricity generated through renewable sources using a grid-tie inverter.
7. As incentives the government has only to implement its Grid Code, remove all custom duties and taxes on the equipment to be used to generate electricity, provide special loans through commercial banks at preferential rates (1~2%) for funding the individual projects and guarantee purchase of electricity at retail price over a period of 20 years.
8. Let individuals participate in the democratisation of power generation by using the roof tops of their household to install solar panels and thus not sacrifice the agricultural lands where which plants naturally convert carbon dioxide to oxygen through photosynthesis.

Time is no longer for words, but for actions . . .