VZCZCXRO2486
RR RUEHGR
DE RUEHWN #0153/01 0651817
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 061817Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7202
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRIDGETOWN 000153 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CAR - JONATHAN MITCHELL 
DPET ALSO FOR OES/STC - EILEEN KANE 
 
TAGS: SENV TSPL TBIO EAGR ENRG ECON AMGT APER XL
SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR EMBASSY SCIENCE FELLOWS 
 
REF:  SECSTATE 010843 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: In response to reftel, Embassy Bridgetown submits 
the following requests for Embassy Science Fellows to work in 
Dominica, St Lucia and Barbados. Point of contact for these 
proposals is ESTH Officer, Jake Aller, allerjc2@state.gov, 
246-227-4274.  End Summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
St. Lucia: Alternative Energy Technical Review 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶2.  (U) Background: The government of St. Lucia is moving ahead with 
proposals to develop alternative energy sources.   St. Lucia has 
confirmed geothermal, wind power, and solar power potential.  St. 
Lucia currently uses diesel power for most of its electrical power 
generation needs, consuming 54 megawatts of power per year.  The 
government has committed to developing a wind farm along the 
southwest coast.  Geothermal potential is hampered by the fact that 
the land suitable for development is in a UNESCO World Heritage Site 
and needs special permission for development. UNEC, a Canadian firm, 
has the rights for development. 
 
¶3.  (U) Proposed Work Program:  The Science Fellow will be charged 
with looking at the potential for alternative energy projects in St. 
Lucia and advising the government and Lucelec, the electric utility 
company as to the commercial and technical feasibility of 
alternative energy projects.  The fellow should provide technical 
assistance to government officials from the Ministry of Commerce, 
Foreign Trade, Energy and Public works, and other agencies as 
needed, in their efforts to evaluate, coordinate, and make decisions 
about alternative energy plans.  Special emphasis will need to be 
given to ways to minimize negative environmental impacts.   Finally, 
the fellow must work to facilitate dialogue among scientists, 
government officials, and civil society members within St Lucia, the 
Organization of Eastern Carribean States, which is headquartered in 
St Lucia, and with relevant experts in the United States. 
 
¶4.  (U) Area of expertise:  Experience planning and/or evaluating 
alternative energy projects, particularly wind power and geothermal 
power projects.  Experience in working with a variety of 
stakeholders on large civil projects would be helpful. 
 
¶5.  (U) Timeframe:  Up to three months.  The government of St. Lucia 
is setting up a new interagency alternative energy review panel and 
the fellow would be welcomed to work with them as they begin their 
high level review. 
 
¶6.  Housing and office space:   The St. Lucia government has agreed 
to provide housing in Castries and office space, including computer 
terminals and phones, probably in the Ministry of Energy.  The 
Embassy will meet with the Fellow at the beginning of his assignment 
for briefings and at the end of his assignment for an out-brief, as 
well as mid-way through the program, depending upon availability of 
Embassy travel funds. 
 
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Alternative energy proposal from UWI Barbados Campus 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶7. (U) Background:  The University of the West Indies, Barbados 
campus, is one of the three campuses that make up the University of 
the West Indies system.  It is the premier public research 
university in the region.  UWI has set up a new renewable energy 
institute to look at ways to commercialize alternative energy 
products and systems.  They have a particular interest in solar 
power systems, Nano-technological innovations in PV, Wind Energy, 
Geothermal Energy, OTEC, and Hydrogen.  The institute will focus on 
the following areas: 
 
Building a state-of-the-art research laboratory for development of 
new photoelectric cell technology at the Cave Hill Campus to use the 
experience and expertise of regional and international partners to 
create economically viable products from technological 
breakthroughs, building new industries to provide new means of 
income generation for the region. 
 
Establishing a facility for the testing of new and existing RE 
technologies and evaluation of their performance in the prevailing 
environments of Barbados and the Caribbean, especially those which 
seem to applicable to the future of our region. 
 
Making Cave Hill Campus a demonstration site for RE in Barbados and 
the Caribbean region by installing the most up-to-date but tried and 
tested photovoltaic panels on all available roof spaces throughout 
the campus. 
 
Encouraging the campus architects and planners to integrate 
photovoltaic panels into the roof structures of new buildings 
wherever feasible. 
 
 
BRIDGETOWN 00000153  002 OF 002 
 
 
Maintaining direct contact with regional and international centres 
in which research and development of new RE technologies are carried 
out so as to identify and bring to the attention of regional public 
and private sectors the opportunities presented by any relevant 
developments. 
 
Expanding and continually upgrading the teaching of RE/AE in the 
undergraduate programme and in the postgraduate training and 
research of the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences at Cave Hill. 
 
The Institute will explore RE/AE in an interdisciplinary approach 
involving social scientists and policy-makers as well as physicists, 
chemists, biological and environmental scientists.  The former will 
help to ensure that market distortions, financial and other 
disincentives for the expansion of RE/AE in the region, are 
minimised while the latter group will, by active participation in 
state-of-the-art research, keep our teaching, training and 
implementation efforts up to date. 
 
¶8.  (U) Proposed Work Program:  The Science Fellow will be charged 
with three principal tasks:  First, working with the new institute 
to develop a comprehensive review of alternative energy projects and 
proposals for the region, including looking at projects that UWI can 
undertake at its campuses throughout the region.  Second, working 
with the institute's staff at ways to implement alternative energy 
programs into the UWI educational mission, educating the future 
generation of engineers and technical staff.  Third, working with 
the institute staff on outreach programs geared at educating the 
general public and the corporate sector on alternative energy 
projects and proposals. 
 
¶9.  (U) Area of expertise:  Experience planning and/or evaluating 
alternative energy projects, particularly wind power and geothermal 
power projects, and nano technological innovations in PV, Wind 
Energy, Geothermal Energy, OTEC, and Hydrogen.  Experience in 
working with a variety of stakeholders on large civil projects would 
be helpful. 
 
¶10.  (U) Timeframe:  Up to three months. 
 
¶11.  (U) Housing and office space:  Depending upon when the fellow 
will arrive, the Embassy may be able to provide transitional housing 
for part of the fellowship, UWI will provide additional housing as 
needed.  UWI will provide office space, computer access and local 
transportation costs. Embassy staff will meet with the fellow at the 
beginning of his assignment in Barbados for briefings and at the end 
of his assignment for an out brief, and mid-way through the program, 
if needed.  The Embassy can also provide cashier assistance and 
teleconference facility upon request. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
Dominica: Evaluating Disaster Management Programs 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶12. (U) Background: In addition to extreme weather events, volcanic 
and seismic hazards affect much of the region. An ESF could better 
enable government and non-government organizations to strengthen 
their capabilities to plan for and respond to natural disasters.  In 
particular, Dominica has experienced devastating hurricanes the last 
few hurricane seasons.  Dominica is also an active seismic activity 
zone, with the potential for a large volcanic eruption.  The 
government and private sector is ill prepared to cope with large 
scale natural disasters. 
 
¶13.  (U) Proposed Work Program: The Science Fellow will work with 
officials from the Ministry of National Security, the Coast Guard, 
and other government agencies to design and implement comprehensive 
disaster preparedness and recover plan, covering hurricanes, and 
volcanic risks.  The fellow will work with the government on public 
outreach and training programs relating to natural disaster 
preparation. 
 
¶14.  (U) Area of expertise:  Disaster planning, mitigation and 
disaster recovery operations. 
 
¶15.  (U) Timeframe:  Up to three months.  The hurricane season runs 
from late June to Mid November and that might be a good time for the 
fellow to be in country to gain first hand exposure to how Dominica 
currently copes with such disasters. 
 
¶16.  (U) Housing and office space:  The Government of Dominica has 
agreed to provide housing, local transportation and office space 
including computer access.  The Embassy will meet with the fellow at 
the beginning of his assignment in Barbados for briefings and at the 
end of his assignment for an out brief, and mid-way through the 
program, depending upon Embassy travel funds. 
 
HARDT