Here in Cayman, it is no secret that the sun is abundant. In fact, we get over 300 days of sunlight a year.  If one were to think of the best way to produce energy, solar seems like a no brainer!

However, its not that simple. Due to costs of importing the hardware and installation, solar and other renewable energies have been slow to catch on.

Here are some great examples of generating energy without burning any fossil fuels that I have found while driving around and in the local media.

Here in South Sound, this person has setup a large array of 84 solar panels. According to an article in the local newspaper, this setup can generate enough power for 3 homes.  Here is the link to the article for further reading:

http://www.caymannetnews.com/article.php?news_id=17293

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Now in West Bay, this new condo building, which also houses DiveTech, a local dive shop has solar panels and also a lovely Skystream windmill.  This complex boats that excluding the use of air conditioning, it is completely self sufficient for power. In the picture below you can see the solar panels on the roof.

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Here is the skystream windmill, which sits right next to the ocean.  When I went there, it was turning at a medium pace.  It was very silent.

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Gotta admit, it even looks great!

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Now if only the cost of these panels & other equipment could go down!  Would be amazing if every house had panels on the roof.  Lower utility bills and cleaner air for everyone.