–in keeping with gov’t-led ‘Green Initiative’
THE Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), through a project financed by the Government of Guyana, has installed 12 integrated 80W solar-powered street lights around the Stabroek Market, better known as ‘Stabroek Square’.
They have also installed 750 energy-efficient Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs around the eastern facade of the building.
The bulbs use renewable energy from the sun to charge the batteries which provide lighting at nights using energy efficient LED lights.
The lights, on the other hand, are controlled by a light-sensitive circuit to switch them on and off automatically. The technology causes the lights to dim by 50 per cent when motion is not detected, and return to 100 per cent brightness when motion is detected.
One advantage of the system is that they are not powered by regular electricity, thereby avoiding the use of fossil-based energy from the grid and the associated costs.
The second component of the project was the replacement of the 750 13-Watt compact fluorescent (CFL) lamps that outlined the eastern façade of the market with 7-Watt LED bulbs.
According to Mr. Kenny Samaroo, the project’s lead engineer, “The LED technology is more efficient than CFL, and the change out will result in almost 50 per cent reduction in energy consumed.”
Based on the existing Street Lights Tariff, the 12 solar-powered street lights will result in annual energy savings of about 4,205 kWh, the resultant annual cost savings of which is about G$184,170 and 2,523kg of avoided CO2.
The computed simple payback, when compared to a similar installation using utility-powered 80W LED lamps is six years.
The second component of the intervention, which cost an estimated $9M, will result in annual energy savings of about 19,710 kWh, resultant of annual cost savings of about G$1.3M and 11,826 kg of avoided CO2. The computed simple payback is 1.6 years.
As Samaroo explained: “The initiative was in keeping with the agency’s mandate to carry out research into all sources of energy, including those sources presently used in Guyana, for the generation of energy and securing more efficient utilisation of energy and sources of energy.”
According to GEA’s Dr. Mahender Sharma, “The project was completed at a total cost of $9,611,000, and was in keeping with the Government of Guyana’s ‘Green Initiative’, which is in keeping with the Agency’s vision to provide reliable energy in an environmentally, socially and sustainable framework.”
The GEA will continue to monitor the installations, and provide technical support and maintenance.
