Speaking at the commissioning service for a few electric shuttles that the government purchased for Road Town’s Park and Ride Shuttle Service, the Premier advised residents that going green is currently the correct way to move forward with energy generation.

“The sun is free and if you don’t believe me, stand up in it right now and ask if anyone would bill you. We need fossil fuel for now, but it is inevitable that we must shift to green energy. We must go green,” Fahie said.

“With the grid-tie and net billing system we put in with the BVIEC, you can generate your own electrical power for your own use and if you have excess electricity, you can sell it to the grid and earn money for yourself. Now is the time for you to make the switch to solar,” the Premier added.

Fahie advised persons that if they have extra land space or a large rooftop, they can generate electricity to supply themselves, make money selling it to the grid and help protect the environment.

“By the end of this year, you should be selling electricity to the BVIEC. BVIEC should be buying electricity from you instead of you buying electricity from BVIEC. Money could be coming into your pocket by going green. But in the least, you would be cutting down your electricity bill because you would be generating electricity yourself,” Fahie said.

He noted that using solar energy also reduces dependency on the BVIEC grid and if the grid goes down for whatever reason, a person will still have an electricity supply.

“It means that in the event a storm knocks down the powerlines, it means you wouldn’t have to sit in the dark waiting for the lines to be repaired. It pays to go green,” Fahie said.

“You do not have to worry about where you would find trained technicians to do your installation, maintenance and repair. We have people right here in the Virgin Islands. Our very own Virgin Islanders have the skill and that too is based on the proactive work ad foresight of your government,” he continued.