BY ANDREA PALMER
Redfeather Green Energy Development
Inc., based out of Saratoga Springs, is a
woman-owned start-up company focused
on implementing energy efficiency projects
for the hotel sector in U.S. Caribbean territories,
where commercially-focused energy
efficiency service providers are scarce.
“We decided to start Redfeather because
we saw a very lucrative opportunity for
energy investors that would also greatly benefit the environment and people in
struggling economies,” said Redfeather CEO
Anntonette Alberti.
That’s where Redfeather comes in.
“We have a great idea and we are working
with teams of proven experts, both in the
U.S. and the Caribbean, to help us bring it
to life,” said Alberti.
She said Caribbean energy prices are
among the highest in the world and are a
burden on the economic health of the tourism
sector, which is the economic engine
of the Caribbean. By helping businesses
save on average 34 percent on their electric
bills, “we know we can help larger Caribbean
economies,” she said.
According to Redfeather President
Marion Trieste, energy costs in the Caribbean
Islands are among some of the highest
reported in the world. Diesel or heavy fuel
is commonly burned to generate electricity.
The scarcity of commercially-focused energy
savings companies, as well as an overall lack
of access to funding, leaves many in the
Caribbean hotel sector unable to convert to
a more energy efficient plan.
“Energy efficiency technology is helping
hotels save over 30 percent of their
electricity costs annually. It is enormously
important and timely to conserve energy,
especially in places that are paying the most
for it,” said Trieste.
Said Alberti, “We want to show the power
of private investment to achieve social
good. Dollar for dollar, energy efficiency
investments are the most cost effective way
to reduce carbon emissions, even more effective
than renewable energy. We had great encouragement from our new board member,
Karl Rábago, a nationally recognized expert
in clean distributed generation.”
Redfeather helps oversee, coordinate,
finance and procure clean energy efficiency
projects. Projects come at no up-front cost
to hotel owners and are paid for by each
business in installment payments, over the
course of five years. Completed projects are
sold into portfolio funds.
Redfeather also provides support in
marketing properties as environmentally
responsible tourist destinations, including
verification of energy savings that can be
used to fulfill requirements of green tourism
certification agencies.
“Our business is focused on energy efficiency
for hotels in the Caribbean and
most of them are using solar energy to help
with reducing energy consumption, said
Trieste. “Energy efficiency improvements
can significantly cut operating costs, while
at the same time improving the real state
value of a property. It can be done in a way
that attracts hotel guests, reduces carbon
footprints and helps create sustainable
Caribbean jobs.”
Alberti said the return on investment for
energy efficiency projects in the Caribbean
is “indisputably high,” but each project is too
small to attract private investors. So, “we
realized that we could bundle these projects
to make them attractive to investors.”
Though Redfeather will initially be
focused on the hotel sector in emerging
Caribbean economies, the company intends
to branch out into other sectors over time.
The company website is www.redfeathergreenenergy.com.