The Caribbean Green Technology Center will host a public symposium on the Virgin Islands Renewable Energy Act at 6 p.m. July 17.
The symposium, which is free, will be held in the University of the Virgin Islands’ Administration and Conference Center on the St. Thomas campus. A videoconference link to the St. Croix campus will be provided.
The symposium will provide an overview of what the law and more recently approved amendments mean for the public and how they affect individuals, and will seek suggestions for moving forward, according to center spokesperson Heru Ofori-Atta.
Some areas covered by the Renewable Energy Act include the waiving of import duties on solar products, the implementation of solar water heaters in new buildings and the waiving of import duties and excise taxes on hybrid vehicles.
Speakers at the symposium will include Sen. Louis Patrick Hill, Water and Power Authority CEO Hugo Hodge, V.I. Energy Office Director Karl Knight, Adam Warren of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, an arm of the U.S. Department of Energy, and Phillip Smith, director of permits at the V.I. Department of Planning and Natural Resources.
The session is open to people in both the public and private sectors. Further information can be obtained by contacting Ofori-Atta at 1-954-593-4998 or hoforia@live.uvi.edu.
