Clean Island
Solutions
Waste Solutions For Island Communities.
A permanent solution to Island “rubbish” problem!
Welcome To Clean Island Solutions
Inspiration
Early years: Our founder, Mark Greenwood, has a long history of loving islands. He spent his first birthday in 1957 on the North coast of the Isle of Anglesey, a stunning 400sq. mile island close to Snowdonia in North Wales. To this day, the Greenwoods have maintained a base in Cemaes Bay, Anglesey. Mark recalls his formative years there living a quasi self-sufficient life fishing, crabbing at low tide, lobster potting, picking mushrooms, blackberries, wild spinach and sloes, not to mention the glades of hazel nuts if he beat the squirrels!! Coastal walks on isolated cliff tops and stunning beaches added to the pleasure
Tropical Island Discovery and a Conundrum:
The Anglesey experience, (which he still visits regularly), made a deep impression on him and shortly after he settled in Thailand in his 30s, he discovered the Southern tropical paradise of Koh Samui. And, so the Greenwood love of islands continued soon after Mark bought his first property there in 1991. However, especially with the soaring popularity of tropical islands alongside international tourism, the lack of long term planning has led to them being blighted with a torrent of rubbish generated by the visitors which they find it difficult to get rid of. Koh Samui has not escaped this fate and has managed to accumulate landfill of over 400,000 tonnes, which accumulates at the rate of 45,000 tonnes a year.
Garbage Threat to Island Paradise:
Though this backlog is currently being cleared by transportation to the mainland, he despaired as he saw little progress being made to finding a permanent solution to a vexing “rubbish” problem which, if left uncontrolled, will snuff out the very industry that has helped to increase the wealth of islanders so dramatically. Mark had often mused that given a chance he would love to help out, but he never thought he would get one!!
And then, as if by magic, a chance meeting……………….
The “Light Bulb Moment”
In 2018, during a consultancy with a Bangkok based entrepreneur who was developing biogas projects, Mark happened to meet a senior executive of Synova Power who had been involved in the financing of waste to energy projects using a gasification process. He mentioned the “rubbish” problem that Koh Samui has and the Synova representative mentioned that they had tried to do a project there but was finding it difficult to get political momentum going. Mark asked whether he may possibly be able to help to get things moving thereby leveraging his contacts on the island, especially given his deep personal connection with an island that was so close to his heart. After this meeting of minds, an idea was born and is now taking shape.
The Technology
Incineration: Generally, the most utilized technology for dealing with the issue has been incineration. However, this technology, though it is able to deal with the problem, and has been widely installed, has a reputation, perhaps less deserved than most think, for being “dirty” technology. However, following the backlash from environmental groups and climate activists, the whole process has been cleaned up and even countries in the EU, which has some of the strictest rules in this regard, such as Sweden, have taken this technology to the next level and operate incinerators which only emit 50% of the EU standards. Progress indeed.
There have been many efforts to apply the technology to household waste but all had been unsuccessful due to the build-up of tar in the machinery which led to a deficit of operational efficiency due to clogging. Various organisations have been working on solving this problem and are building units which are capable of delivering up to 9.9MW of power using simple Metropolitan Sold Waste (MSW) converted into Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) as a raw material. Significant progress has been made in providing a solution for the clogging issue and the technology works well with biomass in many locations worldwide. However, it is now starting to be rolled out as a solution for landfill elimination.
It has many advantages:- 1) It operates at lower temperatures than incinerators, 2) As a result, it is cheaper to run, 3) This limits the production of dioxins and furans in an anaerobic atmosphere, 4) is capable of producing valuable by-products such as biochar, carbon black and activated carbon. Incineration does not produce these by-products.
Clean Island Solutions
Suitable for Islands: In a unique innovation, with island communities in mind, the technology, which can be miniaturised to units as small as 100KwHrs has been adapted in such a way that it can be containerised and transported for use in smaller island communities where often, the principal source of power is diesel, which is 1) very expensive 2) very dirty and 3) contributes to national current account deficits as it is generally imported. At the same time, adequate resources have not been applied to disposing of the mountains of rubbish that were being committed to landfills and left to rot, emitting methane, a greenhouse gas that is 24 times more damaging than CO2.
Containerisation of smaller units saves time, transportation costs and means that when delivered to site, it is almost as simple as tightening the nuts and bolts. A minimum of fabrication work is needed and the technology can be erected very easily on the eventual site and be producing power within 12 months of the issuance of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).
Open rubbish burning – The Maldives
Financing the Investment
The key to financing the investment required for one of these facilities is obtaining a PPA. Many governments worldwide are now offering special rates for power that is produced by the elimination of landfill or sewage based waste in an effort to encourage investment in this area. Once a PPA is obtained and the financial model is proven, accessing up to 80% financing is relatively straightforward. This is largely because the revenue streams from electricity sales and tipping fees are generally provided by government and therefore the plants become subject to sovereign risk debt considerations rather than private sector risk.
Helping To Eradicate Island Waste Problems!
Attractive Solution for Small Island Governments:
The island Gasification business model is very simple. It involves no expenditure from the public purse; the initial investment required to get the PPAs in place is provided by investors. These investors either then sell out the PPA partially and retain a stake, to a technology provider or possibly yield-seeking investors such as pension funds. Pension funds, due to the ultra low-interest rate environment find it difficult to achieve the yields made possible by the implementation of this technology.
There are only five requirements of the authorities in order to proceed:-
- Provision of suitable land
- Assistance in gaining all the permits necessary for the plant to be built and operated
- Agreement on the terms of a long term PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) with the relevant entity
- Agreement on the terms of a long term agreement to process MSW under which the waste is completely disposed of for a fee per tonne (if applicable)
- Obtaining of all permissions and licenses demanded by each individual government, principal among which are environmental clearances.
A Chance Idea Takes Wind
From a chance meeting in the Royal Bangkok Sports Club, this idea is now gathering momentum. Negotiations are in various stages which will likely lead to the installation of this exiting technology initially in The Maldives, Koh Samui, Koh Pangan, Sri Lanka and Mauritius. As a response to the increasing amount of interest in adopting this technology and the environmental benefits it bestows, in March of 2020 a decision was taken to incorporate Clean Island Solutions (CIS) in Thailand, where Mark is based. We are now working with a range of technology providers in Holland, the Czech Republic, California, India and China.
Please feel free to get in touch with Mark Greenwood directly at the contacts below for further information.
