Ken Daniel, of Security Advisors Worldwide, or SAW, a renewable energy security advisory company contracted by Jetstream Wind, Inc. recently returned from the island of Haiti.
I understand that you and Security Advisors Worldwide had a very successful trip to Haiti. There doesn’t seem to be a great deal of media coming from this nation as to the daily lives of Haitians, the environmental issues they face, or the energy issues they’re looking at.
So that we can have a better picture, can you begin by talking about what it’s like for average citizens in Haiti on any given day?
Mr. Ken Daniel:
On an average morning in Haiti, people there don’t wake up to the possibility of electricity like we do here. They pretty much use coal to warm themselves in the morning. There also aren’t the refrigeration capabilities like here in the states, so they walk to the market everyday to get whatever food they can prepare and eat that given day.
As far as the issue of water goes, in the capitol of Port-au-Prince there was some running water, and I would see people on the exteriors of buildings filling up their water containers. But out in the rural areas, it’s more difficult and being pumped out of wells.
Along the roadways are fifty-five gallon plastic drums filled with water. Haitian citizens basically walk some distances to these to get their daily water since there aren’t many vehicles owned by private citizens.
There’s obviously not a large availability of electricity in Haiti, which seems odd in this day and age. Where does this issue stem from?
Ken:
There’s a hydro-plant that rests in-between Port-au-Prince and Hesh. It was actually built by Americans in the early part of the last century and has been around for a very long time. Put simply, it’s just old and doesn’t kick out enough power.
All of the power lines that we take for granted here in the US, actually have cobwebs growing on them in Haiti. And then, with the bad weather, hurricanes and such, there were numerous poles leaning at 45 degree angles with wires coming out of them.
The only real power was in the capitol of Port-au-Prince and it goes off regularly. Mostly though, what I saw were people with candles and bags of coal to cook their food. Really, unless you are a person with a little bit of money and can afford to be affluent, you can’t rely on the comfort of being able to depend on electricity.
With the hurricane situation, the lack of food and good shelter, renewable energy quite possibly could be the key to bringing in some the needed electricity to help with the situation.
This would be the first renewable energy technology being developed on an island, which is monumental. Would it be more difficult creating wind, solar, or hydrogen power on an island in the middle of the ocean as opposed to it being developed on a mainland?
Ken:
In this particular place, almost everything that is needed can literally be brought to the land. With hydrogen technology for example, an area of land is cleared where it won’t require much manipulation as this technology is easily able to be placed. An added benefit to that is there won’t be any deforestation.
With solar technology, another small piece of land within a vast spread of land is cleared and the technology placed upon it. Lines won’t have to be ran over long expanses of land for fuels, diesel, or natural gas. There won’t ever be an oil spill or pipes in the ground that corrode.
So it doesn’t seem to be too difficult. Exporting equipment out of the United States and importing to an island would be the main issue to be dealt with. Jetstream Wind would have to look at building an airstrip so that they can cargo fly equipment in. Most building materials would have to be imported from the U.S., which is 300 miles off the coast of Miami, and would either come in by cargo plane or shipped in by sea.
It would be a benefit to take the time and see if there was anything available on the island that can readily be used, salvaged and recycled.
The terrain in Haiti (being an island) is more than acceptable. There are mountains, which means the wind is constantly blowing across them. There’s plenty of sunshine shining on the hills that are vast, rounded and able to be navigated. Even the new hydrogen technology can easily be implemented there.
If Haiti were to bring renewable energy in, it could be put anywhere. It wouldn’t have to be placed in a major metropolitan area, and the power from the renewable energy plant(s) could run to the pre-existing grid. The hope would be, however that Haiti itself would help to re-build the infrastructure so that all of this power could get to the homes, schools, hospitals, businesses and other places where electricity is vitally needed.
The truth is that they would have to wait far longer to get any other type of an energy program in, such as coal for example. There are also some pretty severe issues with deforestation happening at present, and so I would think that renewable energy is really the only way to go for Haiti right now.
Looking at the environmental impact of renewable energy on Haiti, would you say that there would be any, at all, created from this technology?
Ken:
As compared to a coal-fired plant here in the United States, no, other than having to clear small pieces of land to put things on.
There are many countries that simply have to have energy right now, and this is by far the cleanest way to get it. Nuclear is not the answer. It leaves a long-standing residue as a result of that power. Natural gas and coal also lead to numerous environmental concerns.
The fact is that we can’t rely on oil for our needs any longer and I don’t want to see any more damaging changes in the land. This won’t. And the residue from this technology won’t be a bigger burden for the Earth. What’s cleaner than water?
But it really doesn’t matter what country it’s in as far as getting the renewables to work for people. It’s the technology that Jetstream Wind has that hits the central point of this whole thing. In other words, if the technology can get there and the transmission lines can get ran, then this can work almost anywhere.
Working through the issues of basic infrastructure, transmission, politics, and environment, a company like Jetstream Wind is the right answer for those people.
Did the Haitian government welcome you and the possibility of a Jetstream Wind collaboration?
Ken:
Yes. I was treated very well. I was able to meet with the US Ambassador to Haiti, the advisor to the President of Haiti, several Prime Ministers, and the necessary others that would become involved should we all come together and build a renewable plant there.
Other than simple barriers with the French-Creole language, it was a very successful meeting and everyone was excited. It went from one meeting to five or six, with them wanting me to speak with as many leaders as possible in my short time there.
This is a major project of which Jetstream Wind would probably want to share some sort of responsibility. How deeply would the country of Haiti be involved and responsible in re-powering their nation?
Ken:
The United States created a bailout for the auto industry. The country of Haiti will possibly need to create a financial bailout for their energy problem. They’re probably going to have to put some money into the system to start readying themselves for this type of project.
Having the years of experience in large military operations, I’ve learned to back-plan for anything. In other words, I can see the end result, but before I can get there I have to first go all the way back to where it begins. It begins by asking questions…a lot of them.
In order for renewable energy to be a reality in Haiti, the Haitian government has to ask themselves some questions so that Jetstream Wind and Security Advisors Worldwide can do our jobs.
How will they find the necessary people needed for this large of a project? How will they train these people? Where are the people located and where is the transportation going to come from to move these people? How will they communicate?
There is a lot of work to be done from taking out old transmission lines and putting in new ones, to breaking ground on the energy plant itself. Power poles will be placed on every block. New construction companies will be built, taking into account everything that goes with that including the huge amount of labor needed.
We can also take into account the education necessary to work with a project of this type, creating a national boost in knowledge. Anything from taking down a power line to managing a company with the large workforce will have to be covered.
It’s not only about the end result of the plant supplying renewable energy to the people. It also includes the entire scope of the process beginning with Haiti’s choice and ability to prepare for it.
In seeing the potential, meeting the representatives, and observing the culture, what is the one thing that you come back with?
Ken:
I come back with the insight that the country of Haiti is only a two and half hour flight from Miami. It’s not so far away that we can’t touch it with our assistance.
Little kids are walking distances, carrying the water they needed for the day. You have to remember we as a human race have also been to the moon. We’re building a space station. How is it possible that an island, so close to the United States is in the situation it is?
This has the capacity of creating and developing a whole new job infrastructure and economy. It is a prime example of renewable energy quickly effecting the situation for the better.
The capability is there to get it done. The land is there, the people are motivated, and the technology is ready to go. With the help of the Haitians in getting the infrastructure ready, a whole new way of life can arise from this for the people of Haiti, and also the same possibility for other people and nations all over the world.
What strikes me the most from our conversation about renewable energy is its ability to cross borders, boundaries, cultures, political policies, and even world religions without leaving heavy footprints of various unwanted agendas.
Thank you once again, Ken, for sharing this information showing how people and technology can come together to create a clean, economically stable world for our future and our children’s futures.
Click here if you would like more information about Security Advisors Worldwide (SAW).
Ornesha De Paoli
Green Ascension ~ Evolving People on an Evolving Planet
