What started with a simple question ended with complex questions, a few solid answers and a check from Justin Bieber.

Dr. Ed Bosarge spoke July 16 at Bigelow Laboratory's Cafe Scientifique in front of a full crowd.

His discussion, titled “Renewable Energy on Islands in the Exumas Chain,” focused on Bosarge's efforts to make Over Yonder Cay completely reliant on renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar and tidal power.

Over Yonder Cay is an island resort designed to be 120 percent green, meaning extra energy from wind, solar and tidal power is stored in batteries.

Bosarge, who has a residence on Southport, is an entrepreneur, engineer and philanthropist who said he looks at all projects and problems the same way.

“I look at everything as a physics problem,” he said. “Everything from stem cells to renewable energy, whatever the field may be, I've always looked at it as a physics problem.”

The problem in this case was an island that imported all of its energy from foreign nations, and only had potable water that fell from the sky. The ground in the Exumas is saturated with salt water, and fuel is marked up in price to make it prohibitive, Bosarge said.

“The island nations have no domestic (fossil fuels), except imports,” he said. “When diesel is $6.50 a gallon, it makes you look at alternatives.”

From there, Bosarge said the idea to run an island almost exclusively with renewable energy to decrease dependance on oil only made sense. It would be the first of its kind, he said.

“It was the first green island in the Caribbean, the first green island in the world, with three renewable resources providing energy and reverse osmosis to convert salt water into fresh water,” he said.

The Exumas also had optimal conditions for such a project, Bosarge said. Wind speeds average 14 knots year-round, the sun shines brightly and consistently in the summer and the “cuts,” or small channels on either side of the island, were pulling the Atlantic in and pushing it back out with tremendous force at the changing of tides.

But before those technologies wash up on Maine shores several things would need to happen. Firstly, and mostly the cost of fossil fuels would need to increase to the point where the United States needs to pursue alternative energy.

If those are avenues Maine decides to pursue, it could be a boon to a state that has strong sustained wind and neighbors the Bay of Fundy, Bosarge said.

But, again, the cost of other energy options would need to increase before the renewable energy sources take over.

The discussion focused on how much energy was demanded on the island against how much energy was supplied by renewable resources and batteries.

The results were 99 percent powered by renewable resources and 1 percent with diesel.

Bosarge said improvements were in sight, such as Lockheed Martin's advancements in carbon fiber reverse osmosis technology and increased efficiency.

And what about Bieber?

“He arrived in a speedboat he had rented,” Bosarge said. “He wrote a check (for Over Yonder Cay), and left his speed boat out in the water. I guess he didn't like the interior.”

Ben Bulkeley can be reached at 207-633-4620 or bbulkeley@boothbayregister.com. Follow him on Twitter: @BBRegisterBen.