WAPA Board Authorizes Energy Storage Agreements With Fortuna, Bovoni Solar Providers

The V.I. Water and Power Authority Governing Board convened Wednesday and approved a pair of energy storage services agreements with STF Solar for the Fortuna and Bovoni solar farms.

WAPA Chief Executive Karl Knight said that “despite the efforts of the current Trump administration to disincentivize solar production, it’s still very advantageous to us here in the U.S. Virgin Islands.”

“It still makes good sense to us, because we do not have a lot of indigenous resources, and we’re still very much dependent on the importation of fuel oil — and now propane,” he said. “Having indigenous sources of energy are actually in our best interest for a variety of reasons. Foremost, we’re still a part of the country where we can produce solar power for less expense than our fossil fuel generation.”

Knight said the incorporation of solar energy also reduces the demand on generating units and frees up time to perform much-needed maintenance.

WAPA Chief Executive Karl Knight said that “despite the efforts of the current Trump administration to disincentivize solar production, it’s still very advantageous to us here in the U.S. Virgin Islands.”

“It still makes good sense to us, because we do not have a lot of indigenous resources, and we’re still very much dependent on the importation of fuel oil — and now propane,” he said. “Having indigenous sources of energy are actually in our best interest for a variety of reasons. Foremost, we’re still a part of the country where we can produce solar power for less expense than our fossil fuel generation.”

Knight said the incorporation of solar energy also reduces the demand on generating units and frees up time to perform much-needed maintenance.

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