THE International Solar Alliance (ISA), on Tuesday, applauded Guyana for the significant strides made in generating solar power in its quest of becoming a ‘Green State’.

Seven years after installing its first eight kilowatts demonstration solar power system, Guyana now has photovoltaic systems totalling five megawatts of solar power. It is currently preparing to commission its first solar farm, and according to the Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), Dr. Mahender Sharma, approximately six more solar farms are in the pipeline.

ISA Director of Governance, Resources and Innovation, Fiona Bourne, said it has been amazing to follow the journey of Guyana in adopting solar energy. According to her, Guyana’s progress is “very impressive and commendable.”

On Tuesday, during day two of the 2019 Americas Regional Ministerial Conference on Green Economy in Fortaleza, Brazil, Dr. Sharma outlined Guyana’s progress in transitioning to solar energy, and its near-term developmental plans.

In his discourse, the GEA Chief Executive Officer said Guyana has made “huge accomplishments” since its first pilot project in 2012. He explained that the photovoltaic systems, totaling almost five megawatts, have been installed on government buildings.

Notwithstanding some delay, the country will, this year, commission its first 400KW Solar Farm in Mabaruma, Region One (Barima-Waini). The solar farm takes the form of a hybrid system, switching to batteries and then a generator in the absence of the sun. The country is now aiming to produce 80 megawatts of solar power. Dr. Sharma explained that shortly after Guyana became a member of the International Solar Alliance in January 2018, ISA and the Government of India assisted in drafting a Solar Roadmap.

According to him, the Solar Roadmap outlines how the country will generate a total of 80 megawatts of solar energy. Putting it into context, the GEA CEO explained that with a population of approximately 750,000 people, the peak demand on the national grid is approximately 115 megawatts of electricity.

“So 80 megawatts of solar is huge in that context,” he told leaders of Latin America and Caribbean, while addressing the topic of ‘Solar Investment: Transition to a Green Economy.’
“The 80 megawatts are broken down by solar panels that are connected to the grid and solar panels that are off grid. So the 80 megawatts comprise of 30 megawatts of on-grid solar and 50 megawatts of off-grid,” he further explained. It was also explained that the off-grid demand is higher due to the fact that a number of communities are located far from the national grid, making it uneconomical to connect via transmission lines.
In the case of these far-flung communities, Dr. Sharma said it is more feasible to set up “isolated home systems or mini grids.”

The Solar Roadmap has been transformed into a proposal, and has since been submitted to ISA. Government, Dr. Sharma noted, is also pursuing a Line of Credit with the Government of India for the conduct of a feasibility study, and the possible financing of some of its solar energy projects.

ISA provides a global platform for cooperation among countries to help achieve the common goal of increasing the use of solar energy in a safe, convenient, affordable, equitable and sustainable matter. The GEA CEO believes that Guyana can benefit significantly from ISA’s Demand Aggregation and Pipeline Programme. Through this programme, ISA intends to significantly drive down prices by aggregating 1000MW demand for mini-grids and rooftop solar across member countries.

Already, Guyana, Dr. Sharma reported, has received financial support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for the development of three solar farms – 1.5 megawatts, 1 megawatt and .6 megawatts.

“By mid-2020, towards the end of 2020, we should have installations commencing on the ground,” he said while adding the farms should be operational by 2021.

In January 2019, Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), through the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), approved a US$8M loan for Guyana to install 5.2 megawatts grid-connected solar PV systems. These systems, Dr. Sharma explained, will spread across three solar farms in the hinterland regions of Guyana. This initiative is intended to reduce residents’ dependency on fossil fuel and increase the reliability of electricity supply in the hinterland. “So it is likely that we will sign a future agreement to finance an additional three solar farms, largely for our mini grids in the hinterland and remote areas of the country,” he said.

The GEA is also hoping to tap into the US$80M that has been made available by the Government of Norway through the REDD+ Financial Scheme. It is hoping to use a percentage of the US$80M to set up its on-grid solar system.

It was noted that the country’s shift towards solar power is aligned with its ‘Green State Development Strategy (GSDS):Vision2040’ and its ‘Green Economy Plan’.

Dr. Sharma had formed part of a panel during the discussion on ‘Solar Investment: Transition to a Green Economy.’ The other panelist was CAF Development Bank of Latin America, Senior Executive (Energy Projects), Fernando Branger.