I am really interested in learning about the history of and current issues related to using alternative energy sources such as wind and solar, as well as sustainable technologies like greywater use, biofuel, etc. on Bonaire. It's clear from seeing the disabled windmill at the Dive Inn, and the ones that are working at the salt ponds, that this was in use at some point. But Bopec and the power plant tells me that this is a very complicated story. Bonaire has so much potential to utilize sustainable strategies that would protect its fragile island ecosystems. I would love to learn as much as I can about this topic.

Go to Meiky Snack, there is one of the new test devices installed ...
Dive Inn was never used, it was in the old days forbidden to use anything like wind or sun energy when you lived in an area where WEB was connected. It seems that policy of WEB starts to change ... they have a new director for a while now .. the grape vines are telling about some ideas, but nothing is officially known yet.
The wind mill by Sorobon was paid by the European Community and installed quite some years ago, but never really used .. the old director clearly did not like alternative energy - or perhaps he know nothing about it and was not willing to learn ????
Quite a number of Kunuku owners have sun and wind energy as they have never been connected to the WEB system.
Greywater was discussed before, there is a plan about 4 years old by the European Community, but who is going to finance it ?? For the smallest houses inland it would be about Euro 4000 .... who can pay that ???? They talked about 10.000 for houses in Belnem .....
Biofuel ??? Like some other alternatives ... who is going to finance the infrastructure for that ???? For just 12.000 people ???
The mills at the salt company are for pumping water, like the wind mills you see on the dijks in Holland, Northern Germany or Danmark
Try to make contact with Frans Booi, he knows a lot about this subject.

Great info, thanks! I will follow up on all of it. May I ask who is Frans Booi and do you have any idea how to contact him? Also, do you have any idea how I can find out more about the EU greywater plan?
As for cost, I agree that the technologies can be expensive. Especially when there is the added problem of importation. The trick might be to look for ways that alternative energy can be implemented on a small scale - for instance as to biofuel, gas has become so expensive here in southern California that there is a new trend catching on like wildfire here, of running diesel cars and trucks on used restaurant oil! Yes the car needs to be converted and the oil needs to be filtered...My husband and I are looking into buying a used diesel car and converting it, so I will learn more about the process and costs in the near future. He is an architect that specializes in sustainable design and knows quite a lot about alternative technologies and how to implement them on a small scale -- say that of a dive resort or small apartment complex.

On this subject and not to take (in any way shape or form) WEB's position. They may have a real problem with alternate supplies on their grid. You see most electric meters are kind-of stupid and will run in both directions equally. So if your windmill is producing more power than you are using you could have a negative electric bill.

What they should be doing is monitoring the power coming in and the power going out. That way they can charge retail price for the incoming and wholesale price for the outgoing. The electric meter has to be smart enough to do this.

In my mind, that is only fair as they have to maintain the grid and all the equipment.

Sorry, I can not find Frans Booi in the telephone book .... coming from the airpoort, going south (Belnem) he lives on the waterfront in #22 .....
For the greywater I guess you have to make contact with the DEZA or perhaps you can find it on the web site of the European Community , they have a project site ... I think it was 1998 or 1999 when they were on the island, so the plans were I guess ready one year later ...
Used oil for diesel cars is in use for several years now in some cities in Europe. Barcelona (and I think Nürnberg) and others is one of them and has a collection system for picking up the oil from the restaurants and public busses are driving on it.
WEB should not have a problem to get the right meters, in Holland and Northern Germany and Danmark these meters are in use for more than 20 years.... but you have to be willing ....

Frans lives at Kaya Niki Boko Nord and his phone # is 011 599 717 6937. His wife is American and it is perhaps her house that is in Belnem.