…as UAEP introduces solar panels
Residents of the remote hinterland community of Waipa have been able to get rid of their kerosene bottle lamps with the introduction of solar- powered lights under the Unserved Areas Electrification Programme (UAEP) in the village on the Guyana/Brazil border.
Waipa,  a small community of about 250 residents,  is located on the left bank of the Ireng River which separates Guyana and Brazil,  28 miles from Orinduik in Region 8 (Potaro/ Siparuni).
The UAEP completed the installation of 55 solar panels at the village recently, at a cost of $13.3M .
The panels are generating 65 watts of electricity which light up two bulbs and provides enough left over to play a small radio and power other small electrical appliances, a source involved in the project disclosed.
“Residents in each of the 55 homes now have lights, enjoying a marked improvement in the quality of life in the village, given its remoteness and what  previously prevailed,” the source said.
“No more soot on the ceiling from oil lamps,” he added.
In addition, the UAEP installed a large solar panel, bigger than the ones on the homes,    at the primary school in the village.
This 235-watt panel is now lighting the school, with enough left over to power a computer or a television set.
Waipa was among the last of the remote communities in Region Eight to benefit from cheap solar electricity under the UAEP.

The costs of electricity for residents will be $500 a month for each household, a token payment   to  cover  anticipated maintenance costs.
Members of the community have been trained in maintenance of the systems , to ensure that they can be kept in good condition for long-lasting service, the UAEP source said.
The UAEP was a Government of Guyana (GOG)/Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) project executed at a cost of US $28.2M, aimed at extending electricity to households on the coastland and the hinterland.
The programme, started in 2004 and officially ended on April 16 last.
It provided electricity to some 22,000 households in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven and 10, as well as to several  riverine and hinterland villages by means of  solar panels.