Above: a resident of Guyana’s Region 9 takes home a solar panel
By the Caribbean Journal staff
Guyana’s government recently delivered new solar panels to residents of the country’s Region 9, part of a continued green energy programme in the hinterlands.
The so-called Hinterland Electrification Programme, which is linked to Guyana’s Amaila Falls Hydropower project, is a major aspect of the government’s Low-Carbon Development Stategy.
Nigel Dharamlall, Permanent Secretary of the Amerindian Affairs Ministry, handed over the panels, which were sent in from Georgetown.
Homes in areas including Sawariwau, Katoonarib, Shulinab, Karasabai and others will be illuminated with 12 to 15 kilowatt hours of electricity, many for the first time.
Each village that received the panels was given two kits with the tools needed for installation and servicing.
An officer from the Officer of the Prime Minister, which has oversight for the programme, will visit each village at least twice per year to ensure that the systems are operational.
Some villages in the country’s Region One also received panels recently.
A growing controversy over the country’s new budget has reduced the number of panels delivered to homes in the region, according to the government.
The fate of the remainder of those homes is not clear.