Saint Croix is one of the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. It has its own electricity grid because 40 miles of deep ocean separate it from the St Thomas Island system. Generating units are either combustion, or steam turbines running on fuel or propane. These are aging and took a hard knock during 2017 Hurricane Maria. Local news out is batteries will improve St Croix disaster planning significantly.
Batteries Will Improve St Croix Hurricane Resilience
The St Thomas Source news feed reported a new emergency plan on March 8, 2020. Inspections are in progress to confirm the island Education Complex could double as an emergency shelter. This would have independent, off-grid electricity from solar panels and storage batteries, as soon as a storm passes.
Perhaps Hurricane Maria has a silver lining after all, Kyle Fleming, director of the Virgin Island Energy Office told The Source. This gave us fresh eyes to appreciate how batteries will improve St Croix disaster recovery in a new light. The Department of the Interior will fund the project with a special grant.
There’s Good News in the Pipeline for St John Island Too
The St Croix project will cost around $625,000 and should complete this year. After that, attention will focus on smaller St John Island. This currently depends on St Thomas for its electricity via an undersea cable. This could not withstand the force of 2017 Hurricane Irma and the residents suffered power outages for months.
The authorities will install a four-megawatt diesel generator in Coral Bay and Crux Bay respectively during 2021. These will team with battery storage and end the smaller island’s total dependency on imported power. There is talk of adding renewable energy later. It’s wonderful to know batteries will improve St Croix resilience to disaster soon. We imagine the residents will feel a sense of great relief.
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Preview Image: Christianstad on St Croix Island
