A?ST?JOHN?man is reaping the benefits of solar energy. He has had zero to pay on his electricity bill for the last two months; and, what’s more, he has a credit of over $400.
That’s because retired American diplomat Ralph Dungan has switched to solar panels and a wind turbine as an alternative source.
His homemade renewable energy system comes through the installation of 20 solar panels on the roof of his home at Victor Plantation, supplemented by a nearby wind turbine.
Dungan’s bill from the Barbados Light &?Power for February and March has been nil and he is instead $429 in credit after selling energy generated by him back to the company.
“My solar modules have been up for six months, but we have only been tied into the grid [electrical system] to Light &?Power for about three months. It has resulted in massive savings for me, and clearly is the way to go,” he said.
Dungan, a special assistant in the White House to late President John Fitzgerald Kennedy back in the 1960s, said a friend from St Philip had mounted the panels on his house.
“I don’t want to disclose the name of the person who installed the panels because he is very private. He has an installation on his own house and he also has wind turbines.”
The former Ambassador to Chile in the Lyndon B. Johnson administration said one could size the system to one’s own financial ability.
“In my case, we are producing all of the electricity that we need, and we are generating more and selling it back to the company. That’s why we have a $429 credit. That money will vary according to the fuel adjustment price. The higher that it is, the more we will get because of the way the price that is being paid by Light &?Power is calculated,” he said.
Dungan, who turns 88 on Good Friday, acknowledged that the venture was expensive. He spent $40 000, but the benefits were immeasureable.
