6000 homes in Guyana’s hinterland to receive solar panels

Despite its massive drive to expand its services, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc may not be able to provide electricity to every Guyanese home. Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS) and Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon made the statement on Wednesday during an announcement that some 6000 homes will receive 65-watt solar panels in GPL’s “off grid” areas.

Hinterland communities in Regions One (Barima-Waini); Seven (Cuyuni-Mazuni); Eight (Potaro-Siparuni); and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) will benefit from the Gy$166 million project which will see homes being powered by the solar panels.

“It completes a project initiated by the PPP/C [People’s Progressive Party/Civic] that saw already some 13,000 panels installed exclusively in households in Amerindian communities,” Luncheon told journalists on Wednesday.

These Amerindian communities are off the grid of the power company, Luncheon related, continuing that despite its transmission and distribution, many homes may remain without the much needed service.

“As you know GPL is on a “rambunctious” expansion mode, but there are, of course, limits to those expansion. There are communities that are likely to continue to be off grid, even with the more optimistic expansion of the grid associated with the current initiatives and benefits,” the Cabinet Secretary noted. He continued: “I don’t believe that they will end up in Bara-Bara up the creek and I don’t believe they will be going to Sand Hills, Upper Berbice River”.

The 6000 panels will be distributed to households in selected hinterland and coastal riverine communities, through Government’s Unserved Area Electrification Programme (UAEP).The project, piloted by Minister with responsibility for energy, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, is at its final phase.

“His expectations are that the Hinterland Electrification Unit, an entity which falls within the Prime Minister’s cluster, his expectation are that these 6000 systems will be installed soonest,” Dr Luncheon said.

As was done in the earlier phase, the project will be relying on trained residents of the various communities to assist in the installation of the systems on the selected homes, the Cabinet Secretary said.

At the onset of the project close to three years ago, Government had underestimated the number of households and had provided some 13,000 panels for the communities.

“Long before we were finished distributing the 13,000 panels, it became clear that there were serious underestimation as there were as many as 3000 additional households,” Luncheon related.

Asked if there is any hope of such a project expanding, Dr Luncheon related that Housing Minister Irfaan Ali had indicated that in the wave of the expansion of the housing drive, the project could very well continue. He said too that because hydro and solar power belong in the category of clean and renewable energy, the possibilities are unlimited where that was concerned. “So yes, I could very well see solar panel installation picking up and making a decisive contribution to both off and on grid homes.”

The distribution of the panels began as early as 2012 in several Amerindian communities. The solar panels, worth G$75,000 each, were handed over to the Amerindian communities of Tapakuma/ St Denys, Wakapao, Akawini, St Monica, Karawab, Mashabo, Betany, Mainstay, Capoey and Kabakaburi in Region Two by the Prime Minister’s Office.