TCGNRG Comments on Guadeloupe PPE 2023-2033

The Multiannual Energy Programs (PPE in French) define the orientation and the methodology to be applied by territory to manage their energy production and consumption in a broad sense. They are declined differently from one geographically isolated region to another.

At the French level, the so-called continental metropolis PPE (excluding non-connected territories, Corsica and DROM-COM, therefore independent) includes sections relating[1] to:

  • the security of the supply
  • improving of energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption
  • the development of the exploitation of renewable and recovered energies
  • the balanced development of networks, storage, energy transformation and management of energy demand
  • the clean mobility development strategy
  • the preservation of consumer purchasing power and the competitiveness of energy prices
  • the assessment of professional skills needs

Without predicting the provisions that will be taken by the Guadeloupe territory for the period 2023-2033 under the responsibility of Région Guadeloupe, one can expect to find these majors themes supplemented with the specific issues of a small tropical island territory without reservation of fossil fuels.

Guadeloupe’s PPE is currently being revised for the period 2023-2033. The public presentation on March 1st, 2023 made it possible to take stock of the preparation of this important document for the future supply of electrical and fossil energies in Guadeloupe. The document made available leaves you thinking [2]. A presentation in PowerPoint format does not in any way constitute a relevant working document. The schedule provides first the approval by the Regional Council in April 2023, followed by the validation of the General Directorate for Energy and Climate as well as by the French environmental authorities between the months of June and August 2023, then a public availability in October and the final adoption in November this year.

The small amount of information made available nevertheless makes it possible to list the weaknesses of the current vision of the PPE and the points to be worked on and to be strengthened urgently to avoid the catastrophe of the policies on energy and mobility imposed from Brussels and Paris and which do not seem adapted to the country of Guadeloupe.

The first question comes from the forecasts made on energy needs by 2040 with two scenarios that have a difference of 12% in 2028 and 24% in 2040. This difference indicates that according to the two hypotheses, the changes to meet Guadeloupe’s future energy needs could be of the order of a quarter of energy to be produced additionally. Finding the surfaces available to produce a quarter of additional energy is difficult on a small archipelagic territory like that of Guadeloupe where conflicts of use already exist between town planning, agriculture, the preservation of biodiversity and heritage, and protection of natural environments, sites and landscapes. Both models are based on two main parameters, the evolution of the population and the development of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

We are not immune to a natural disaster that forces us to welcome 20 to 30,000 inhabitants from a neighbouring island. On the other hand, the imposed development of electric vehicles should not destabilize our electricity network. An adaptation of European measures must already be studied in order to avoid a social, economic and human disaster.

Tracks to explore

Only two existing endogenous resources are likely to meet the challenge of the need for energy with low environmental and climatic impact in the Guadeloupe archipelago: geothermal energy; and photovoltaic on all the roofs of buildings and individual houses. It is essential that these two mature sources of production be clearly put forward with support at different levels, training of actors and future actors, awareness of the population, and production and recycling of production tools, i.e. photovoltaic panels and geothermal power plants.

Wind energy

The proposals for revised objectives seem overestimated for all of the proposals, except for geothermal and solar photovoltaic. The recent conflicts around the extension of the Dadou farm at Petit-Canal show that the acceptance limit of the implementation of industrial-scale onshore wind farms in Guadeloupe has been reached. The proposed objectives are unrealistic and disconnected from the reality of the territory which cannot at the same time advocate the protection of biodiversity and develop a technology with a strong environmental impact.

Hydropower

Climate change (drying of the atmosphere in the tropical areas) and growing water needs for market gardening and tourism make water resources increasingly fragile and limit the annual production of hydropower. New means of production can be installed, but annual production is unlikely to increase. It is illusory to rely on this resource and to further alter the water cycle in Guadeloupe by installing new devices on the network of rivers and water reservoirs.

Biomass

The use of endogenous biomass for energy production is in direct conflict with the needs for (re)nourishment of the soil (mulching, compost) and the production of activated carbon, the needs of which are growing in a territory where a large part of water catchment areas are contaminated by Kepon, among other things. This implies that the 266 MW expected in 2033 will be of exogenous origin, they will negatively impact Guadeloupe’s carbon footprint and will not improve its energy independence.

Mobility and hydrogen

The current approach aims to make the Guadeloupe electricity network absorb a large part of the mobility needs. This approach is worrying given the high instability of the latter. The geographical distribution of the stable means of production (thermal and geothermal power plant) in the territory makes it very sensitive to natural risks, in particular flooding and marine submersion in the low and humid zone of Jarry.

Mobility, until recently was outside the electricity network, it would be wiser to design a network for recharging electric and hybrid vehicles that is autonomous and disconnected from the main network. The unveiled potential of hydrogen allows us to be confident in the strong growth of fuel cell mobility. This approach will prevent the establishment of monopolies and promote local solutions.

The role of the citizen

The good results of awareness campaigns on controlling consumption are proof of the importance of the citizen in solving the production-consumption equation. And not just as a player in controlling and reducing energy consumption. The conflict in Dadou at Petit-Canal around the installation of large wind turbines on agricultural land shows that no project can succeed without the acceptance of all. Participatory democracy tools must be put in place within the framework of this PPE so that the people of Guadeloupe can design their new ways of consuming, producing and moving around. These tools must include training, awareness, participation in studies and decision-making.

Concluding point

To conclude, it is surprising that the structure of the continental metropolitan PPE model does not already appear. Guadeloupe’s autonomous energy territory is not fully addressed. Only the forecasts of the values of the productive power are put forward with questions on the evaluation of the socio-economic impacts and future reflections on the organization of mobility. The effects on the environment, the carbon footprint, and the cost of energy and mobility do not seem to have been considered yet.

In the end, the voice of the people is missing, the will of Guadeloupeans, of citizens to create the energy of tomorrow. And this, with all the consequences in terms of pollution, space management, environment, development, innovation, risks and independence. I, therefore, call for a review of the calendar and the addition of a stage with an enlightened popular consultation.

Jean-François, Marc DORVILLE, PhD in Fluid mechanics

Geophysical consultant, business manager
Former lecturer at the University of Western Brittany and Antilles-Guyana
Former lecturer at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus and head of the group on Renewable Energies

Baie-Mahault, March 15th, 2023

Download PDF version

[1] https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/programmations-pluriannuelles-lenergie-ppe
[2] PPE 2023-2033: GENERAL PUBLIC RESTITUTION SEMINAR ON MARCH 1, 2023

Low-Pressure and Sahara Dust from 7/27 to 7/28

For the last two days, a low-pressure zone and a layer of sand (dust) from the Sahara have been interacting in a harmonious dance.

Goes16 image for July 27 at 18:00 UTC
source : https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES/sector.php?sat=G16&sector=taw
Forecast of total Sahara dust in the air column of the SKIRON model for July 27 at 18:00 UTC
source : https://forecast.uoa.gr/en/forecast-maps/dust/north-atlantic

The Sahara dust limits the development of cloud structures in the low-pressure area and its convective movements, with progressive weathering visible on the animation. The depression favours the transport of the layer of dust towards North America.

The presence of Saharan dust in the atmosphere of the North Atlantic has many negative effects on health, in particular by reducing air quality with the presence of fine particles and bacteria. It also impacts the environment with a strong greenhouse effect which favours heat waves and drying of the air which modifies the frequency and the quantity of rainfall.

Conversely, the presence of particles modifies atmospheric dynamics, in particular cyclogenesis. In an atmosphere overloaded with sand, convection is limited or even stopped, cyclones have less favourable conditions to form.

The presence of large quantities of sand from the Sahara modifies our understanding of meteorology in the North Atlantic but also of the current and future climate. Years with large concentrations of Sahara dust disturb our perception of climate change.

Animation of Goes16 satellite images from Wednesday, July 27 to Thursday, July 28, 2022

July 26th International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem

Bassin Bleu, Bananier, Capeterre-Belle-Eau, Guadeloupe, FWI (July 7th 2022)

Mangroves and their ecosystem have an essential role in biodiversity, the renewal of fish stock, the preservation of coastline, the quality of coastal waters, and the attenuation of flood waves. This list is not exhaustive and is growing day by day.

Therefore, preserving these environments is essential for the quality of life of women and men in the coastal zone.

Their preservation is complicated because they most often occupy areas with high tourist, port or real estate value. Making a choice between financially profitable projects and spaces that cannot be monetized is not accessible using a neo-capitalist reading grid.


To ensure the maintenance of these spaces of abundance, life and culture, it is necessary to agree to place the life of a fish, a mollusc, a crustacean, and a bird on the same level as that of ‘a company.

#TCGNRG #MangroveSwamp #Conservation #InternationalDay #Guadeloupe #Martinique #Caribbean

Read More : https://www.unesco.org/en/days/mangrove-ecosystem-conservation-day

World Meteorological Day 2022

March 23rd World Meteorological Day, this year’s theme is “Early Warning and Early Action”.

Meteorology is a relatively recent observational science. The technical progress made it possible after the Second World War (1950) to enter another dimension using remote sensors such as satellites and radio and then internet communicating sensors which allow the entire earth to be observed in real-time. Weather events can be monitored remotely from space or via sensors located in inaccessible areas.

A second revolution, that of digital (1970) made it possible to numerically simulate the ocean, the atmosphere and the ground over several days very quickly. Numerical weather forecasts are available every day for several weeks and therefore alert before extreme events: heatwave, snowstorm, sandstorm, torrential rain, extreme wind, hurricane, etc.

Despite these new capacities and their constant improvement, we remain weak in terms of the ability to adapt to extreme events, the causes of which we still have difficulty rigorously defining. Meteorology is not about the effects of risks, but about their origin: hazards.

Technologies, as in many other sciences, tend to make us forget that the size or form of digital information and data is not important, only their reliability counts and the people to analyse them.

On this world day TCGNRG invites you to ask yourself about the human resources available in your region to monitor weather phenomena, you will understand why forecasts are so inaccurate and so often wrong.

#WMO #WMD #WorldWeatherDay #Weather #Climate #Hydrology #LackOfResources #TCGNRG

Read More https://public.wmo.int/en/resources/world-meteorological-day/world-meteorological-day-2022-early-warning-early-action

International Water Day 2022

International Water Day

March 22nd International Water Day the day after the International Day of Forests and on the eve of the International Day of Meteorology. Everything is intertwined and interconnected in our EARTH system.

Water is present everywhere on the surface of planet earth, in the form of liquid (salt, fresh or brackish water), solid (ice, snow) and gaseous (water vapour), both in the atmosphere but also in the grounds. WATER is essential for LIFE but also for landscapes, climate balance and technologies.

This year groundwater is highlighted. They are present in the form of aquifer, spring, infiltration.

Groundwater is an invisible and essential network for wetlands and deserts. They transport minerals, organic matter and recently (less than 200 years) persistent chemical pollutants; they feed ponds, rivers, and coastal waters.

Groundwater is the hidden part of the global water cycle, and because of its invisibility, it is too little protected.

On this international day, TCGNRG advises you to take the time to think consciously about where the water you drink or use comes from and where it goes in order to better participate in its preservation.

#Water #Preservation #Health #Pollution #WaterDay #InternationalDay #WaterDay #TCGNRG

Poster of the official selected theme for the International Water Day : Ground Water

Read More: https://www.worldwaterday.org/share-2022

International Day of Forests 2022

Picture of Tropical Forest at Grand-Étang, Capesterre Belle-Eau

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has declared March 21st as the International Day of Forests.

Official poster of the International Day of Forests 2022

The forest as an ecological system is the basis of life and determines the supply of water, plant and animal resources, but also energy via wood, coal and peat for certain regions.

The forest performs many other missions, particularly in extreme environments such as in tropical areas with high rainfall where the stability of the soil is entirely their responsibility.

Few forest areas are preserved from the action of men, agriculture, logging and urbanization constitute the most visible threats, but the generalized use of pesticides and other chemical products weaken the components of these systems and push to their transformation.

New exotic species is also a major risk, globalization, the ease of the transport of goods with stowaways such as insects and snails, the desire to grow new plant species disturb forest systems with more or less serious and more or less lasting effects.

On the climate side, the role of the forest in the capture of atmospheric carbon is known but its role in rainfall is less so. Evaporation above forest areas allows a large number of microorganisms present on the leaves of trees to be found in the atmosphere and constitute as many condensation points for water vapour facilitating precipitation. A forest needs water to grow and facilitates rainfall.

The forest is a complex system, they all have their specificity and uniqueness, dry, wet, maritime. To enter a forest is to enter a full universe that deserves respect and protection like the oceans. Forests are essential to our life on this planet.

On this international day, ask yourself the question of the last time you went to the forest. If it’s been too long, plan a visit to reconnect with the biological reality of our planet and adapt our lifestyle.

#Forest #FAO #InternationalDay #Complex #Biology #Protection #Future #TCGNRG

Poster of the selected theme of the International Day of Forest: Sustainable wood

Read More : https://www.fao.org/international-day-of-forests/en/

International Education Day (2022)

Education (and access to knowledge) without being a guarantee of social justice is one more chance to live in health, in peace and to avoid exploitation and this at all ages.

It is important for everyone to question the state of our education systems and the future we want in order to improve them.

Education also includes all the knowledge and human know-how developed, including the knowledge from our cultures. Globalization and access to knowledge on an industrial scale via the Internet classify knowledge, making the life of the knowledgeable unsuited to their environments.

On this international day, it is important to question an education at all ages that values and respects all knowledge, know-how and interpersonal skills.

TCGNRG’s essence is to make knowledge and understanding tools available to all, in particular for phenomena at the ocean-atmosphere interface. For this, respect for ancestral cultures and knowledge is essential because although the last hundred years have seen a progression in observation and modeling methods, they have only made it possible to directly characterize the last hundred (100) years of what is small compared to the history of mankind (7 million years).

#InternationalDay #Education #Knowledge #KnowHow #InterpersonalSkill #Respect #Cultures #UNSECO #TCGNRG

Read more on : https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/educationday

World Wetland Day 2021

Wetland area are essential are for the biodiversity and the availability of water for environment. Too often, in the tropical area, these areas are confused with mangle swamp which is composed them. But there are more extensive and got many shades which made them zones too little known and studied

#WWD2021 #WetLand2021

A New MPhil in Applied Physic

The Jamaican Green Desalination Project is glad to announce that the MPhil associated with the project was validated, in September 2020, by the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. The thesis is entitled “RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR DESALINATION PROCESS: EFFICIENCY AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS IN A TROPICAL ISLAND USING DIGITAL TOOLS

Title page of the Williams MPhil thesis

It is an initial project of three years, fruit of collaboration of the TCG•NRG and UWI Mona. This research is innovative for Jamaica and proposes the use of the Reverse Osmosis process to be run with Renewable Energy. The work done took a snapshot of the freshwater and Renewable Energy resource based on up to 50 years of data. Maps of the best locations to produce freshwater based on the Renewable Energy resource (i.e., wind, solar and wave), freshwater need and the impact of the waste aka by-product (i.e., brine) on the coastal environment have been produced for Jamaica. The impacts of a desalination plant powered by Renewable Energy have been evaluated in equivalent carbon dioxide tons saved and volume of sea water needed to dilute the brine produced by the desalination process.

Jamaica has a new Master of philosophy in Applied physics named Zachary Williams. The Thesis will be available for download in the couple of months.

These three years of research set methodology to select:

  • the type of Desalination process based on the environmental conditions.
  • the Renewable Energy hybrid farm based on the available resources.

The study allows the conception of a numerical simulator, using among other GIS methods, to evaluate the Renewable Energy production based on historical data. Those tools allow for evaluation of the production of freshwater and waste for the next decades.

One of the main output is the generation of map of the best location a Green Powering Desalination plant (see figure)

Le Cahier de la Ressource en Eau

The Caribbean Geophysical and Numerical Research Group (Le Groupe de Recherche Caribéen en Géophysique et Systèmes Numériques) est fier de vous annoncer la parution du premier cahier sur la ressource en eau de la Guadeloupe édité par l’OREC Guadeloupe intitulé : « LA RESSOURCE EN EAU ET LE CHANGEMENT CLIMATIQUE »

Ce document est le fruit d’un travail collaboratif du comité technique sur la ressource en eau du Groupe Régional d’Expert du Climat (GREC) Guadeloupe composé d’une dizaine de membre provenant de l’Université des Antilles, du BRGM, de l’IPGP-OBSERA, l’INRAe, Flè Kawbon, Office de l’Eau Guadeloupe, de TCGNRG et encadré par l’OREC Guadeloupe (Mesdames Cynthia Bonine et Amélie Belfort).

La rédaction du document a été confiée à Jean-François Dorville et Romain Rochette qui n’a malheureusement pas pu aller au bout du projet par manque de temps.

Le document est destiné aux institutions et au grand public. Il fait un inventaire de la ressource disponible, présente les projections climatiques et leurs effets attendus mais aussi les actions possibles pour les atténuer.

Le document est composé de 40 pages, 22 illustrations, 4 tableaux et 20 photographies. Il est organisé en quatre grandes parties :

  • Une présentation du climat de la Guadeloupe et ses principales caractéristiques
  • Un inventaire de la ressource en eau, principalement celles qui bénéficient d’un suivi administratif
  • Une présentation des prévisions climatiques, essentiellement provenant des projections à l’horizon 2080 du projet C3AF (scénario GIEC RCP8.5) et ces effets attendus sur la ressource et les usages de l’eau
  • Une présentation des leviers d’action, les moyens et les méthodes disponibles pour atténuer les effets avenir.

Le document est librement téléchargeable sur le lien suivant : Cahier_de_l_eau

TCGNRG espère qu’il deviendra un document de référence pour la grande région Caraïbe. Nous restons disponibles pour répondre à toutes questions sur ce sujet (contact@tcgnrg.com).

Lien YouTube de présentation de la vidéo sous-titré

Lien vers article dans la presse

RCI Guadeloupe (13/11/2020) : https://www.rci.fm/guadeloupe/infos/Environnement/Un-cahier-pour-comprendre-la-ressource-en-eau-et-le-changement-climatique-en

France Antilles Guadeloupe (11/11/2020) : https://www.guadeloupe.franceantilles.fr/actualite/environnement/un-webinaire-sur-la-ressource-en-eau-en-guadeloupe-et-le-changement-climatique-580152.php

France Antilles Guadeloupe (17/11/2020): https://www.guadeloupe.franceantilles.fr/actualite/environnement/nos-enfants-devront-apprendre-a-economiser-l-eau-580483.php