Next week, Jamaican housing developers, Dewdrop Homes Jamaica Limited, will break ground on their revolutionary neighborhood where homes will be powered 85 to 90 percent by renewable energy.

Solar panels and wind turbines will provide the homes of Les Grande’ur Country Club with clean electricity. Solar and wind energy will generate 400 to 500 kilowatt hours on a monthly basis for the townhomes and 300 kilowatt hours monthly for apartment homes, contributing approximately to  90 percent of each home's electricity needs.

Additionally, the homes have been designed to save energy and increase energy efficiency. Highlights include walls insulated with foam reducing the need for air conditioning, solar water heaters, back-up batteries for each home, solar lighting within the development’s outdoor areas, and of course, great views of the island (in keeping with the French translation, “great view”).

The development consists of five townhouses and four apartment buildings equipped with two or three bedrooms units. The site is primed for wind and solar energy generation and is located in Patrick Heights, a community in the Red Hills of St. Andrew. The project is scheduled for completion in September, 2009 and some townhomes have already been purchased.