CLEAN ENERGY- THE DEBATE
As the price of a barrel of oil surges above the $75 mark there have been vociferous calls for the Seychelles to look into the viability of using alternative clean sources of energy. Seychelles has been relatively successful in introducing and maintaining a pristine environment which is the envy of many countries in the world. However, as the price of oil continues to soar Experts have questioned the ability of Seychelles to finance its energy consumption on a long term basis, if prices continue to sky- rocket.
Mauritius is currently studying the viability of using ethanol from sugar cane as an alternative and cheaper source of clean energy. Brazil is already making use of its vast sugar fields to boost its energy consumption. America is also experimenting with corn squeezing to curb its “addiction” to oil. According to reliable sources, Corn fuel account for almost 10% of gas demand in the United States.
Even if Seychelles is unlikely to become an eco-utopia any time soon, there have been calls for the Government to reduce or do away with taxes altogether on Solar panels and fiberglass. Water tanks made of fiberglass is widely used in Seychelles to store water. Whereas solar panels are popular as a means to harvest solar energy on roof tops of many homes in Seychelles. A temporary tax break on these and related products may encourage new investment in such businesses and would, in the long run, save government money as energy consumption reduce considerably over time.
Although there are an abundance of sunlight and fresh water in this country these natural resources is not inexhaustible. Billionaires such as Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Paul Allen and Richard Branson have all realize the unlimited potential of clean energy and are investing billions of dollars in renewable sources of energy which is expected to boom in the next 10 years. A study into the use of clean energy to compliment the use of fossil energy and eventually replace it altogether in Seychelles is definitely not a futile exercise.
