If you were choosing the ideal energy source to supply 99 percent of your needs you certainly wouldn't pick oil.

But that is the situation Bermuda finds itself in as it now seeks alternatives to buying the wet black stuff which is volatile in price, often produced in politically unstable countries and will run out.

Bermuda consumers don't need to be told about oil's downside they have seen that in their monthly bills which quickly shot up last year but seem to be taking a lot longer coming down.

In September 2003 oil was $25 a barrel this rose to $75 in the summer of 2006. Two years later it had hit $147 a barrel.

And it doesn't stop there. High oil prices have also pushed up food prices another bone of contention for Bermuda consumers while the world's oil dependency also exacerbates global warming. But as a speck in the ocean Bermuda needn't feel guilty about this, right?

Wrong. Bermuda ranks 15th in the world in per capita carbon emissions by country, according to the Green Paper, producing an incredible 11 tonnes per capita.

That's more, per person, than industrialised Britain which has a population 1,000 times bigger.

Bermuda also makes dirty electricity, producing 751 grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour of electricity sold compared to 422 grams in the UK which has a variety of energy technologies.

And worse still, Bermuda's oil dependency is growing up by around 200,000 barrels from 2000 to 2007 contributing to one of the highest electricity costs in the world. In November last year it stood at 42.5 cents per kilowatt hour 48 percent of that was the fuel adjustment cost. Belco is already stretched to the limit. Electricity demand peaks at nearly 120 megawatts in the summer.

The Green Paper says that in order to maintain reliable year-round supplies, Belco carries generation capacity of this peak demand plus 40 megawatts and spends nearly $100 million a year on fuel.

And don't blame corporate Bermuda for siphoning off most of the power. Electricity sales are split almost evenly between residential and commercial customers with demand spiking upward at a similar rate.

Tynes Bay Incinerator produces just 2.2 percent of Bermuda's electricity by burning rubbish. Ironically higher waste volumes being burned have decreased energy output as the facility does not have the capacity to use that extra energy to generate more electricity.

Indeed processing the extra waste takes more energy.

Global warming doom merchants believe fossil fuels contribute to rising temperatures, which are predicted to go up between 1.4 and 5.8 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century.

They will change flood and hurricane patterns and lead to rising sea levels none of which can be good news for vulnerable Bermuda.

Thankfully there are ways to reverse energy use. In the late 1960s the State of California instituted the strictest power and emissions guidelines within the US and demand in California has barely changed over 40 years, while it has almost doubled in the rest of the US.

According to the California Energy Commission the difference is "due in large part to cost-effective building and appliance efficiency standards and other energy efficiency programs".

In Bermuda the summer is when electricity conservation and efficiency can most pay off.

Electrical appliances such as light bulbs, televisions and other appliances all act like small heaters, eventually turning electrical energy into heat and increasing demand for air conditioners to compensate.

With no manufacturing industry Bermuda can enforce more easily, stricter energy efficiency standards than elsewhere, says the Green Paper.

Improving building design through insulation can reduce the need for air conditioners. And the least energy efficient items can be banned.

Government can play a big role. Countries like Denmark have shown what can be achieved by going 'green' through taxing fossil fuels.

Primary energy consumption nationally grew just four percent from 1980 to 2004 in Denmark, even though the economy grew more than 64 percent in fixed prices. At the same time, total carbon dioxide emissions decreased by 16 percent.

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

TRANSPORT

Tiny it may be, but Bermuda pumps out plenty of greenhouses gases with nearly 2,300 vehicles per square mile.

Most cars in Bermuda can do up to 30 miles a gallon yet some models available elsewhere can do twice that.

Other suggestions, for cutting fuel emissions include:

¦ Cycling would reduce the need for motor transport cycle paths, cycle lock-ups and cycle racks on buses would serve as encouragement.

¦ Improve public transport with more coverage and longer operating times.

¦ Encourage car pooling through incentives and advert campaigns.

Fuel economy and carbon dioxide emissions could also be factored into import duty and re-licensing fees.

But switching to electric vehicles would not mean zero emissions with 751 grams of carbon dioxide produced for each kilowatt hour of electricity used to charge them.

SMART METERING?

Smart meters offer real-time tracking of electricity use to the consumer through a display or via an Internet page allowing people to see what is costing them so much.

Smart meters could also help consumers with wind or solar power for example push excess electricity back into the grid and reduce their bills.

However there are complications with the transition from conventional metering including making sure the electricity generated is compatible with the grid and having a mechanism to disconnect the feed in the event of grid failure.

And with only one electricity provider, technical issues should be easier for Bermuda than elsewhere. In North America and the UK, consumers can get cheaper electricity at off-peak hours, which is also beneficial for the electricity producers.

For instance people run their washing machines on a timer switch in the middle of the night. Such a scheme could help here.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Solar energy

Bermuda's strong solar resource can be utilised to produce useful forms of energy such as electricity and heat for water.

And in a happy coincidence sunshine tends to increase in Bermuda just as electricity demand increases because the peak power demand is in the summer. The optimum angle for a solar panel is 32 degrees which fits in with the Bermuda building codes which specify roof pitches between 22.6 degrees and 39.8 degrees.

The simplest solar power use is in heating water, rather than generating electricity, but installation would cost around $9,000 for a family of four while a smaller system for two to three people would cost $6,000.

Those costs are far higher than in the US because of shipping, costs associated with the structure of Bermuda houses and duty.

In Barbados, materials for solar water systems are duty free and tax deductions are offered on heater costs. The result is 38,000 such systems have been installed resulting in $6.5 million saved in fuel costs. And 50 hotels use waste heat from air conditioners to heat water.

Wind Power

Bermuda has strong wind resistance but peak wind times are out of phase with peak power usage months while wind is intermittent so cannot provide a constant source of energy.

However in conjunction with existing diesel power generators it's a worthy investment says the Green Paper.

With limited space for onshore turbines offshore sites are an expensive possibility.

Wave Energy

Studies in Australia, Hawaii and Ireland have concluded that wave power is ideal for those territories and the report notes that Bermuda appears to have many similar characteristics.

The report adds: "It is anticipated that once a suitable technology emerges, Bermuda may be able to take advantage of this resource, simultaneously becoming an international test-bed for some of the first commercial applications of wave energy technology."

However harnessing ocean current energy will not be practical because of inconsistent current flows while tidal energy is also a non-starter.

Electricity can also be produced by tapping into the temperature differences between surface and deep water. Fresh water is created as a by-product.

However a system to create ten megawatts of energy (less than one tenth of Bermuda's daily needs) and five to ten million gallons of desalinated water per day would cost up to $45 million.

Bermuda's energy –– the numbers

Fifty-five percent of Bermuda's energy distribution network is underground

Each residential electricity consumer in Bermuda produces around 6.5 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year

Bermuda has nearly 2,300 motor vehicles per square mile

Bermuda is 99 percent dependent on imported fuels for energy.