Origins of Energy Dynamics Limited

I am a Mechanical Engineer from UWI and commenced working for a Trinidad State enterprise called NHMC. I spent three years there and learned Hospital Design and Maintenance Management systems. I then did a MSc in Biomedical Engineering in the UK which gave me exposure to higher level technology.

I returned to T&T after the MSc in the early 1990s and could not get a job in that field so I entered the Air Conditioning business for a Neal and Massy company where I was exposed to business. After Neal and Massy I went to work for 3M International as a Regional Marketing Manager and learned Marketing. 

From 3M I went to work for York International, a major Air Conditioning player, responsible for the Caribbean region. Whilst at York, I was a part of the inaugural Environmental Committee of the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) where I started doing Energy Management Seminars first in Aruba in 1998 and thereafter in every island in the Caribbean.  This is where I learnt about the Caribbean region and their high cost of energy. Whilst training Hoteliers in the region, on what do to save energy, many came to me to purchase equipment which was not readily available – hence I left York to commence Energy Dynamics Limited (EDL) in 2003.

EDL grew from initially doing energy consultancy, selling compact fluorescent bulbs and other basic energy efficiency (EE) technologies to providing renewable energy (RE) Solutions such as solar and biomass to complex energy solutions such as combined heat and power systems (CHP) and hybrid EE and RE solutions. Being able to provide more non-standard, complex and hybrid clean energy technical solutions which required highly trained resources allowed EDL to enter markets such as Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Jamaica.

Business is mainly about relationships. EDL, having no prior business relationships in these new markets, used its superior technical and business model innovative solutions, that the local companies could not provide to establish a beachhead and grow in these new markets. My completion of the Global Energy MBA at Warwick University in the UK in 2015 greatly assisted in EDL’s ability to develop innovative business models.

Opportunities for growth

EDL is a sustainable, clean energy service company where we provide EE, RE and CHP services. All the above aid in reducing energy consumption and improve the climate resilience of our customers. But to enter new markets and grow, one must combine technological innovation with business model innovation. We have been able to do this with our core competencies of CHP, EE and RE technologies combined with our ESCo Shared or Guaranteed savings Business Model where we can provide financing for our services regionally which results in a win/win solution for our customers, the environment and for EDL. EDL is able to provide financing for our services through the equity investment and Line of Credit provided by the Caribbean Basin Sustainable Energy Fund (CABEF – www.cabef.net ) which is partly financed by the IDB.

Covid-19 has now hindered our growth plans in the short term. However, we recently notice an increase in demand for our sustainable energy and climate resilient solutions in Jamaica and this has been keeping some of our engineers busy. The Jamaicans seem even more intent on reducing energy cost since the advent of this global pandemic.

In the short term, and because of the limitation of our movements, we have used the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) experience and international certification of our engineers and technicians to provide our “Building Sanitation”  service, which we are making available to our local customers – this includes having a certified IEQ engineer working with our technicians to provide AC duct cleaning and sanitization services, ensuring buildings are adequately ventilated, provide high efficiency treated filters, UV lighting system, effective environmental fogging and the use of training seminars to ensure that the customers we service have a safe work environment and the information  to prevent the transmission of Covid-19 virus within buildings. In the medium to long term we will continue to diversify our markets and develop our energy solutions in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and Guyana.

Opportunities for energy efficiency in Trinidad and Tobago

There are many drivers for EE in Trinidad including:

  • Low international oil and gas prices – less revenue for TT

  • Low production of gas – not enough gas to supply the petrochemical plants

  • Trinidad CoP 21 targets – TT is amongst the top 5 CO2 emitters per capita in the world.

  • Climate Resiliency

  • and now the need to save costs because of the effect of Covid-19 on the global economy 

Data from the numerous energy audits that EDL has performed regionally indicate that Trinidad and Tobago (TT) buildings consume between 25% to 40% more energy than other similar regional buildings. This means that this is a great potential for reducing energy consumption.

Firstly, Energy Conservation (EC) need to be practised. We are a nation that leaves ON all our lights, appliances and air conditioning in our buildings and homes when not needed. By simply switching off energy consuming systems, at least 20% of energy can be saved.

The Government of TT are currently on a drive to change the behaviour and culture of the people with respect to the use of energy. The economic crisis caused by Covid-19 may contribute to this endeavour as it may force many to conserve energy in order to reduce costs.

Secondly, investment in low cost/high return EE technologies such as LED lighting, occupancy sensors and simple controls. These can save another 15% of energy with a simple payback period of under two (2) years. So, here there is an opportunity for lighting supplies and electrical companies to provide equipment to meet this need.

Finally, to achieve even more energy savings, companies need to invest in more costly equipment and solutions such as:

  • Air Conditioning – Inverter and VRF AC Systems or Gas Cooling Systems

  • Waste Heat Systems such as CHP

  • Renewable Energy, mainly Solar PV systems

  • CNG or Electric vehicles for transport

  • Double Paned Glass Windows and Insulated walls for efficient Building Envelopes

The decision to invest in these high cost types solutions depends on the cost of energy in each country, the higher the cost the better the rate of return. These higher investment solutions will become more economical only if the energy rates increase in TT, which can only occur with the removal of the opportunity cost subsidy.  

We have encountered very few companies regionally with the ability to develop climate resilient clean energy Solutions. This will be a driver of EDL’s growth in the future. There is therefore a need for more companies with the ability to develop and execute clean energy projects in the region – definitely an opportunity for T&T companies willing to take up the challenge!!