GERMAN firm, MEECO Group, is preparing to assemble a $227M solar farm project at Mabaruma, a project which is expected to provide 24-hour power to the town’s electricity grid.

In March this year, the firm was awarded the contract for the project through the Hinterland Electrification Company Inc (HECI) of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure.

MEECO was awarded the “sun2live” project, in which it will design, supply and install a 400 kWp (kilowatt power) solar system for the Region One town and nearby communities.

It will be executed along with its local joint venture Oursun Guyana.

According to MEECO, the clean energy project comprises the installation of a 400- kWp ground-mounted solar solution together with batteries offering a storage capacity of 400 kWh.

Currently, Mabaruma and surrounding village receives six to eight hours of electricity daily and breakdowns in the power plant usually result in residents resorting to the use of small electricity generators

While it did not provide a timeline, MEECO stated that upon completion of the project, the town can rely on 1,808 kWh of reliable renewable energy per day.
This will minimise the use of diesel generators and avoid the region burning of approximately 21,000 litres of fuel per month.

“Especially for isolated off-grid regions such as Mabaruma, solar energy represents a cost-effective alternative source of power that at the same time contributes to addressing the rising challenges of climate change,” the firm stated.

It noted that the realisation of the Sun2Live solar project requires an accurate and customised planning, particularly concerning the delivery of the materials.

“Due to the remote location of the site, we will have to overcome some logistical challenges as we will not be able to arrange transport by air or cargo ships as usual, but had to choose smaller containers and boats,” Chief Technical Officer (CTO) Thomas Beindorf said.

In addition to the logistical part, MEECO said the project requires advanced engineering, noting that after the installation of the Sun2Live infrastructure, the system will be connected to the existing distribution grid at Mabaruma.

The firm explained that the voltage and power of the solar solution and batteries have to be synchronised exactly to the local electricity network.

“We are looking forward to realising this challenging project and thereby contribute to establish a reliable renewable energy supply in Mabaruma,” Beindorf said.

MEECO has already undertaken similar projects in the country. Together with Oursun Guyana, the firm stated that it installed a sun2roof project at State House in the city.

The company is in the process of equipping 57 governmental buildings with sun2roof solar rooftop solutions. In the process, experienced MEECO staff has trained local teams of electricians and other workers as part of strategic capacity building.

The company said through the further accomplishment of clean energy solutions and measures of local capacity-building, it is aiming to actively support the country in reaching its green energy goals in a sustainable manner.