January 19th, 2012 
An Aruba/Harvard Workshop dedicated to the concepts of environment, energy and developmental Sustainability was held at the Dr. Edward Cheung Innovation Center in Aruba, with key administrators, Ministers and seven noted professors from Harvard, TNO energy think tank and TU Delft, one of the leading technical universities in Holland.
The visiting professors took a brief break from the morning sessions to be introduced to local media by Prime Minister Mike Eman and Minister of Finance, Communications, Utilities and Energy, Mike de Meza. Those present were George Baker, Professor of Business Administration currently on leave from the Harvard Business School and a leader on energy storage issues; Michael J. Aziz, Professor of Materials and Technologies at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Peter Huybers, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences with expertise in climate science and the Caribbean; Jonathan Losos, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and an leading ecologist with special focus on biodiversity; David Keith, Professor of Applied Physics at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and also a Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School; and Henry Lee, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at the Kennedy School and Director of the Environment and Natural Resources Program with particular expertise in sustainable transportation.
Professor Daniel Schrag, Director of the Harvard University Center for the Environment, was instrumental in facilitating the workshop after meeting PM Eman when he spoke at Harvard last year. He will be giving a discourse on his field and findings at the University of Aruba tonight, beginning at 7:00 PM, which is open to the public, gratis.
Included in the workshops were Jan H.J. Ebbing of TNO, Dr. Ryan Peterson of the University of Aruba, and Professor Jan van der Tempel, of TU Delft, an expert in wind energy issues
The PM mentioned that the center had only opened its doors a short while ago, and they feel greatly honored to welcome such illustrious visitors for the first organized conference in the new facility. He also reiterated that the main focus of the conference is “Sustainable Development, in the sustaining the ecology…with the main focus on sustainable energy, and developing a sustainable strategy for the world, the countries, humanity, in order for us to create the conditions that for many more centuries we can enjoy this earth, and the companionship of every one who inhabits this earth; social cohesion, social sustainability, economics that everyone can find themselves in the systems and see they are provided the necessary benefits for everyone to be able to reach their maximum potential.”
In introducing Professor Schrag, the PM mentioned the professor had shown flow charts and projections regarding melting polar caps and rising sea levels that had the Prime Minister “quite alarmed.” This information will be part of Professors Schrag’s presentation at the University tonight so he did not elaborate too greatly when asked about it during the conference. However, he did mention that sea levels are expected rise at least one meter in the coming 50 to 100 years, which would prove quite detrimental to shorefront resorts and residences. The PM said such a situation could be quite challenging for island nations; some are expected to be completely immersed and will have to evacuate their entire populations.
When asked why Aruba is particularly attractive as a pilot project in sustainability and the testing and establishment for complete deployment of renewable energy sources, he confirmed the island’s unique standing, not only because of its abundance of wind and usually steady sun. “One of the biggest challenges to renewable energy in the U.S. is cost. It is simply too expensive compared to baseline power generation which is costing a few cents to the kilowatt hour. Aruba has both the curse and advantage of having very expensive electricity; there are some islands in the U.S. with similar problems.”
“Obviously it is not good to have very expensive electricity, but it is an opportunity as well, because the cost of renewables is not the main challenge here, it is dealing with intermittencies, the reliability issues and from a technology perspective very exciting and solvable; much more difficult when you are dealing with old coal plants that are very inexpensive to run.”
“The issues we are all struggling with…are a challenge for the entire world. Aruba has particular challenges but also some special opportunities; it is very exciting for us at Harvard to have gathered colleagues from engineering, sciences, public policy, business and economics who can use their different perspectives to try and understand ways Aruba can act as a laboratory for the world. Thinking about new strategies, new technologies, new pathways for development; it is a formidable challenge but a very exciting opportunity.”
Professor George Baker who has had experience with the islands mentioned by Danial Schrag concurs: “The opportunities for renewable development on Aruba are really extraordinary. There are some technical challenges to be addressed, but they seem they are addressable. Aruba could truly be a model to the world in terms of a sustainable place to live and work… there really is a possibility of a significant change in the energy equation on Aruba.”
Story courtesy of The Morning News
