The beautiful St. Maarten resort recently added a solar electricity system
PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten, — Divi Little Bay Beach Resort has found another benefit to the sunny weather in the Caribbean islands; the resort now utilizes the power of the sun to provide energy for its property. The installation of a 157kW solar electricity system was recently completed on the roof of the resort’s main building, and this system produces 15 to 24kW of electricity each month. This project will play a major role in reducing the resort’s carbon footprint and is the most recent development in Divi Resorts’ company-wide Divi Green initiative.
“We’re very excited to be able to implement a photovoltaic system at our St. Maarten property,” says Marco Galaverna, president and chief operating officer for Divi Resorts. “This is a big step forward for Divi Little Bay Beach Resort and for our company as a whole, as it will help conserve energy at one of Divi Resorts’ largest properties.”
The solar electricity system was installed by OneWorld Sustainable, a company with experience in providing and maintaining photovoltaic systems for Caribbean properties. The company placed solar panels along the roof of the property’s main building, which contains one of the resort’s restaurants, the lobby, the timeshare sales office, staff offices and several meeting and event spaces. This main building will be powered by the photovoltaic system, as will the various stores in the resort’s shopping promenade. The energy generated from the system will play a major role in reducing Divi Little Bay Beach Resort’s impact on the environment.
The solar electricity system was introduced at Divi Little Bay Beach Resort in accordance with Divi Resorts’ Divi Green initiatives, which display the company’s commitment to providing quality vacation experiences for guests while also working to minimize the environmental impacts associated with its operations. The company’s areas of focus include freshwater and energy conservation, implementation of recycling programs for solid waste and wastewater, reduction or elimination of the use of hazardous substances, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, preservation of land and fragile ecosystems, focused community development and cultural relations, and employment of qualified local personnel in keeping with the existing human resources policy. The environmental focus within Divi Resorts’ properties also includes programs to minimize noise pollution and hazardous emissions where they are identified within resort operations, in addition to seeking eco-friendly products to purchase for the resorts.
The installation of the solar electricity system at Divi Little Bay Beach Resort is just the beginning of the company’s solar electricity plans. Divi Resorts is currently looking into using solar electricity at all of its resorts. “There is a growing need within the hospitality industry to seek new ways to reduce our hotels’ impact the environment, and Divi Resorts will continually strive to meet this need in any way we can,” says Galaverna.
