Gareth Manning, Sunday Gleaner Writer

Raymond Wright

ONE OF Jamaica's leading energy experts is urging Government to consider modifying vehicles used as taxis to enable them to use liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as fuel.

Consultant to the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ), Dr Raymond Wright, says given Jamaica's exponential oil bill, critical attention must be given to the transportation sector to reduce Jamaica's dependence on the fossil fuel. About 21 per cent of imported oil is used to fuel Jamaica's transportation sector.

According to Wright, 90 per cent of taxis in Australia and 65 per cent in Canada are running on LPG and Jamaica should follow suit. He says while there is an initial conversion cost of about US$3,000 for each vehicle, the long-term benefits will be worth it.

Cleaner engines

"Vehicles operating on LPG run cleaner and their engines require less maintenance," he says. LPG has been used in some countries since the 1940s as an alternative fuel for spark-ignition engines. It is also being used in diesel engines. LPG is non-toxic, non-corrosive and is free of lead and additives.

Wright adds that the use of high-powered vehicles should also be discouraged within the transport sector. He says given the nature of Jamaica's road network, high-powered vehicles are not necessary in most cases and, therefore, should be discouraged.

"Thus, today, we should see an import tariff structure that favours engines less than 2000cc as well as hybrid vehicles, diesel-engine vehicles and ultimately, flexi-vehicles that can run on essentially 100 per cent ethanol," he says.

He says Government must lead by example in respect of energy efficiency and adopt solar water heaters in all hospitals wherever the need for hot water arises.

"It is important," Wright notes, "that the National Water Commission accounts for 47 per cent of the total energy used by the public sector. Steps have to be taken to make water pumping more efficient because this is an additional cost to the already burdened consumer utility bills."

gareth.manning@gleanerjm.com