GUYANESE who live on the coast would have noticed the solar panels being installed atop the roofs of government buildings. Many hinterland residents would be aware of, and continue to benefit from, ongoing initiatives to provide electricity to all Guyanese. Those developments occur within the framework of the administration’s Green State Development Strategy; a strategy which must be recognised and applauded.

The Green State Development Strategy is a national developmental framework which includes preservation of our environment, conservation of wildlife, protection of waterways, wetlands, lakes, and protected areas, and – importantly – promotion of energy generation from renewable sources.

The administration’s goal to move towards 100 per cent renewable power supply by 2025 is both commendable and ambitious. Commendable because government has obviously perceived the need for renewable power; we cannot and need not continue to spend some 24 per cent of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on the purchase of power-generating petroleum products. And while the objective is ambitious, it is achievable. The administration has displayed the political will to make it a reality, and Guyana is blessed with an abundance of sources of renewable energy.

The will to implement a green development strategy was demonstrated by President Granger’s signing of the Paris Agreement on April 22, 2016. The agreement is the most ambitious environmental agreement in history. The agreement obligates signatories to appropriately respond to the challenge of climate change. A green economy is central to that response. And harnessing of renewable energy is, in turn, pivotal to a green economic development strategy.

Having decided to pursue such a developmental path, the administration has moved into action.

The solar panels being installed on government buildings will provide electricity, making those buildings less dependent on power from fossil fuels. About 90 buildings will be outfitted by year-end. Those panels alone will generate almost 2,000 watts of power.

Generating power from a renewable source (sunlight) is one side of the equation; government is also working on the other side: Reducing wastage. Presently, over 11,000 LED lights have been installed in those buildings. LEDs use tiny amounts of power to produce light. Additionally, about 1,030 motion sensors have been installed. Those sensors automatically switch off lights, fans, AC units, and other appliances when no one is in a room, thereby saving energy.

It is encouraging, too, to see that private businesses and even homes are now installing solar panels and heaters. Obviously, Guyanese are coming to realise the fact that investing in renewable energy sources now will result in long-term savings.
But the installation of solar panels on buildings is not all; government is working on far bigger projects.

In its quest for energy sustainability, government has committed to building solar farms – large arrays of solar panels – intended to power entire communities. The administration says that the first of those will be operational by the end of August. That solar farm at Mabaruma will allow residents to get eight more hours of electricity per day. Solar farms are also planned for Kwakwani, Mahdia, Matthew’s Ridge, Port Kaituma, Bartica, and Lethem. In fact, the feasibility studies have already been completed.

Of course, solar power is not the only source of clean energy. Government has, so far, identified about 100 locations across Guyana where hydroelectric power systems may be feasible. And work on this power-source is underway. Specific studies of our hydro-electric potential are due to begin within a few months at Moco Moco and Kumu.

This integrated approach of phased-implementation accompanied by feasibility studies will result in continuous planning and development. For example, even as government contemplates the building of wind farms, 6,000 residents of some 25 hinterland communities are receiving solar home systems under the Sustainable Business Models for Rural Electrification and Energy Access Project. In this way, the administration is progressively narrowing the gap between the quality of life along the coast and that in the hinterland.

The administration’s evident commitment to equal opportunity for all is to be applauded. The government’s approach to sustainable development deserves our admiration. As the citizens who will benefit from such programmes, we have a duty to support those efforts, and give praise where it is due, as we make progress along the path of green state development.