A MULTI-YEAR project that has seen the distribution of 13,000 solar panels to hinterland communities to date will end with the distribution and installation of an additional 6,000 65-watt home systems, at a cost of $166M.The disclosure was made by Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon yesterday during his post-Cabinet press briefing at Office of the President.

He added that this time around the distribution will target selected hinterland communities, as well as those in coastal riverine areas, which span Regions 1 (Barima/ Waini), 7 (Cuyuni/ Mazaruni), 8 (Potaro/ Siparuni) and 9 (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo).
“These will be done in off-grid areas…the expectation is that these systems would be installed and distributed at the soonest,” he said.
UNSERVED AREAS
The HPS added that the initial focus of the initiative was to support households in Amerindian communities.
“Long before we were finished distributing the 13,000 it became clear that there was serious underestimation (of the need),” he said.
As such, Luncheon reasoned that coastal riverine communities were included in the list of recipients, after talks with the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL), where the indication was that despite the company’s advances, these communities are not expected to be included under GPL’s grid with any haste.
“These areas are all unserved areas (areas not served by GPL),” he said.
The HPS disclosed that 3,000 panels will go towards hinterland communities and the other 3,000 panels will go towards households in coastal riverine areas.
MANAGED BY HEU
The project piloted by outgoing Prime Minister Samuel Hinds will be managed by the Hinterland Electrification Unit (HEU) and the HPS stated that locals will be engaged to assist in the installation of the system.
“The Hinterland Electrification Unit will be relying heavily on trained residents of these communities to assist in the installation of the panel systems in the selected households,” he said.
Dr. Luncheon pointed to the progressive nature of the support offered by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Administration, considering the fact that the first solar panels that were distributed had a capacity of 15 watts, followed by 28-watt systems and now 65-watt panels.
“This distribution completes a project initiated by the PPP/C Administration,” he said.
Questioned about the view that the distribution of the panels could be seen as an incentive for eligible voters, Dr. Luncheon stated that the project is a multi-year programme that is now ending.
“We have been addressing power needs in hinterland communities for over a decade and if it were to be associated with a fitting response by the recipient, I think this is quite reasonable,” he said.
PART OF HOUSING DRIVE
According to him, the use of solar panels is also expected to be introduced in selected communities, in housing schemes being developed by the Ministry of Housing.
Dr. Luncheon said, “Minister Irfaan Ali indicated that in the wave of the expansion of the housing drive, co-installed with the GPL connectivity will also be, in selected circumstances, the solar panels.
“…I could see the industry, solar panel installation, picking up and making a contribution to the off-grid and on-grid home, where a decision to move away from fossil fuels power to renewable energy can be made.”
GREEN ENERGY
He stated too that the use of solar energy complements Guyana’s move to have green energy with the much-touted Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP).
Slated to be this nation’s most ambitious undertaking ever, the hydropower project is touted to be able to provide Guyanese with a cheaper, much more reliable and sustainable source of electricity. It involves the construction of a hydropower plant in the area of West-Central Guyana, where the Amaila and Kuribrong Rivers meet.
Electricity produced there would be transmitted to Georgetown, and Guyana’s second largest town, Linden. The AFHP is anticipated to result in substantial savings to the nation’s coffers, particularly in terms of foreign exchange and the purchase of heavy fuel oil.
President Donald Ramotar’s consistent position on the matter is that economies must serve the people, not vice versa, and with an expected saving of $9B in electricity subsidies, as well as savings on the $40B fuel bill, enormous investments can be made in other key areas, which will contribute to the improvement of the quality of life for the average Guyanese man, woman and child.
The current Administration has highlighted the endless possibilities for advances on the economic front, once the Amaila project is completed, including the opportunities for a booming manufacturing sector.

(By Vanessa Narine)