Investments in renewable energy solutions do not have to take a long time to bring returns.According to Jeremy Martin, managing director of CarbonAqua, a United Kingdom-based company specialising in reduction solutions for energy and water consumption, some can bring returns in five years or less.He told BARBADOS BUSINESS AUTHORITY investments in solar energy projects took about ten years to bring returns and businesses might be better off considering other options, like wind energy.Speaking following an energy-savings seminar hosted by Renew Energy Caribbean, he said companies should look to reduce energy usage and then try to increase the amount of renewables they generated. “We’re working with Renew Energy which is a local company and is actually driven by a firm belief that we cannot service a market and look after customers from 4 000 miles away. “I think other people have tried and failed. Working with people on the ground locally . . . we should be able to give a better level of customer service,” Martin said. He explainedthat CarbonAqua specialises mainlyin retrofits.“We seek out the things that will pay back really quickly and then match what the customer’s need is to the solutions that we have. “We are also very clear that if a solution won’t work, we’re not going to recommend it. Some things may not work anywhere on the island,” he said. (NB)
