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William L. A. Hinds is a proponent scientist for renewable energy sources in the West Indies, and advisor to the Prime Minister of Barbados.

Hinds was awarded the British Government's Chevening Scholarship in 1984 where he gained a Master of Science in Alternative Energy from the University of Reading. Hinds was also a recipient of the International Visitor Leadership Program provided by the United States Department of State in 2008.

Early life and education

Hinds was born in Barbados on February 3, 1961. He received his secondary education at Harrison College in Barbados, and studied at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus where he obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Natural Sciences.

In 1986, Hinds completed his masters in alternative energy for developing countries. He then returned to Barbados and began working on Organization of American States (OAS) and Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) projects in the area of Bio-gas Digesters and Wind Energy.

Career

Industry

By 1990, Hinds started a company to produce solar dryers which could be used for both agriculture and industrial purposes. The first challenge of this technology was solving a problem relating to the shelf life of a cream of wheat type product that lasted no more than two months. Hinds produced a walk-in solar dryer with computerized temperature controls and back up heating, that dried the produce enough for it to have a 12-month shelf life, with the added benefit of making it an exportable product.

Between 1990 and 1996, he developed a solar dryer to dry imported lumber for the local furniture industry. Hinds then joined the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus as project manager of the Solar Programme in 1996, developing solar dryers, solar stills and installing most of the solar electric systems commissioned by the Barbados Government, at the time.

In 2004, Hinds introduced Barbados' first solar electric vehicle, a solar powered golf cart, which came a few years after Hinds introduced Barbados’ first solar powered bicycle. This was followed by solar shuttles used as the first of its kind in Barbados and the Caribbean to give tours of the capital city using solar vehicles. Hinds was invited by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to ship one of these vehicles to be used at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2009.

Hinds developed, and taught Barbados’ first ever PV installation courses to over 100 participants from four Caribbean countries. This benefit was then exported to Belize, where Hinds trained 27 persons in that country, and 20 staff of the Anguilla electric utility. He conceptualized and designed multimillion-dollar regional renewable energy projects, which attracted support from over 13 Caribbean countries and the Global Environmental Facility. This project evolved into the Caribbean Renewable Energy Development Project which is based at the CARICOM Secretariat, Guyana.

Hinds helped develop the Caribbean's first large scale solar powered ice plant in Skeete's Bay, St Philip, Barbados; Barbados' first solar demonstration house, which is on display in Queen's Park, Bridgetown; and Trinidad's first solar demonstration house located at the University of Trinidad and Tobago.

Hinds is a speaker and author. He wrote Householders Guide to Cool Solar Houses (ISBN 1-4392-4923-7) and Garden Adventure, How a Solar Water Heater works (ISBN 1-4392-3726-3).

In 2024, Hinds is a representative for the Caribbean Development Bank.

Government

Between 1990 and 1996, Hinds worked as a development officer for the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

In 2024, Hinds was serving as Chief Energy Conservation Officer in the Energy and Telecommunications Division in the Office of the Prime Minister. During his time there, he set up the Solar Transport Project.

Personal

Hinds has two sons.

References

1. "William Hinds". Linked In. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
2. ^ Bajan Reporter website, Energy Ministry Official of Barbados presents householders guide to cool solar houses to British High Commissioner, article dated January 22, 2013
3. "Speaker - Mitigation (Barbados) | Physics". www.mona.uwi.edu.
4. Amazon website, Householders Guide to Cool Solar Houses
5. Amazon website, Garden Adventure, How a Solar Water Heater works
6. GoodReads website, Garden Adventure, How a Solar Water Heater works
7. TC Weekly News website, TCI shines at Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum ‘24, article dated May 3, 2024
8. New Energy Events website, CREF 2024 speakers’
9. Barbados Government website, Energy Conservation & Renewable Energy, retrieved October 10, 2024
10. "Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation". Government of Barbados. Archived from the original on 2017-09-05. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
11. Caribpix website, Barbadians urged to invest in renewable energy, article by Sharon Austin dated August 23, 2022

• Living people
• 1961 births