Technological advances to energy and water production.
Research field site: St. Thomas and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Potential research question: (a) How can effective, scalable, and expandable technologies for wastewater treatment, and freshwater and energy production be developed for coastal communities and insular inland areas, that limit harmful impacts to naturally harvestable food resources and the ecosystems which support them?
Background: The U.S. Virgin Islands (VI) are home to ~105,000 people. Similar to many Caribbean states, nearshore marine ecosystems, especially coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds, support diverse and productive fish and invertebrate communities, which provide ~$200 million in economic benefit every year (van Beukering et al. 2011; Pittman et al. 2014). Also similar to other Caribbean islands is a reliance on imported fuel to power the combustion and steam powered turbines operated by the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (VI WAPA). In addition, 10% of total energy use was associated with thermal desalination for freshwater production, the only source for municipal water in the territory (Lantz et al., 2011; Archibald et al., 2015). In response to the increased cost of energy due to rising fuel surcharges and an effort to reduce emissions produced in the territory, VI WAPA installed Reverse Osmosis (RO) water desalination systems to replace thermal desalination plants, and converted from fuel oil and diesel powered to Liquid Propane Gas powered turbines on both islands. The Virgin Islands Wastewater Management Authority also commissioned a new pilot low energy membrane based wastewater treatment plant in January 2017 with a private company EMEFCY. All of this is towards a goal of reducing the territory’s dependence on fossil fuels by 60% over a 15-year period. The benefits to the territory in energy savings and reduced emissions have been assessed as part of life cycle cost analysis and assessment conducted by VI WAPA and the VI Energy Office. Surface seawater intake for these operations can result in the impingement and entrainment of vulnerable marine organisms. Potential impacts or benefits of water intake to the Large Liquid Propane Gas Container (LLPGC) ship (Energy), RO desalination plants (Water), and concentrated brine disposal from the RO plants (Water) to larval stages of commercially important finfish species, and stony coral species that are both important to healthy coral reef fish populations (Food), have yet to be analyzed.
Reclaim is: Protecting the Environment from Ridge to Reef (2015)
USVI Caribbean Clean Energy (2015)
9 months later & it was sobering
References
Archibald, W., Li, Z., Shahidehpour, M., Johanns, S., Levitsky, T. (2015). Islands in the Sun, IEEE Electrification Magazine, 3(1), 56-67.
Lantz, E., Olis, D., Warren, A. (2011). U.S. Virgin Islands Energy Roadmap: Analysis. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL/TP-7A20-52360.
Pittman, S.J., Bauer, L., Hile, S.D., Jeffrey, C.F.G., Davenport, E., Caldow, C. (2014). Marine protected Areas of the U.S. Virgin Islands: Ecological Performance Report. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 187. Silver Spring, MD, 89 pages.
van Beukering, P.J.H., Brander, L., van Zanten, B., Verbrugge, E., Lems, K. (2011). The Economic Value of the Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States Virgin Islands. Report number R-11/06. Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Amsterdam.
