A local Information Technology service provider will shortly be launching a multi-million dollar subsidiary that will provide consumers with access to solar energy as an alternative power source for both domestic and business premises.
And Starr Computers General Manager Rehman Majeed has said that the company is encouraged by the fact that its investment coincides with an increasingly intense international discourse on more responsible environmental practices as a response to mounting concerns about climate change and its likely impact on the planet. “We at Starr Computers are even more pleased that our own President has been at the forefront of the global discourse on climate change,” Majeed said.
Stabroek Business has learnt that the new Starr Computers subsidiary which was established with technical support from United States-based consultants and which is being managed by Guyanese engineer Deryck Rahat will be housed at its Brickdam premises. The company is in the process of completing the creation of a full demonstration centre where potential customers will be able to view the application of the technology to the powering of computers and other equipment.
Majeed said that Starr Solar is continuing to work with the US consultants “to get the project fully off the ground.”
While the company is yet to commence its marketing campaign aimed at promoting the new alternative energy enterprise locally, it is already in a position to provide the service to consumers here. “We already have solar panels available here and we have already begun to sell some panels. It is possible for a consumer to walk into the shop, purchase solar panels and have their own facility up and running quickly,’ Maheed said. He said that he anticipated that initial demand may be strongest in the local mining sector where energy-related costs continue to be high.
According to Majeed, Starr Computers’ investment in solar technology was driven to a significant extent by its understanding of the currency of the global debate on the environment and climate change and what it saw as the need for countries to move towards renewable sources of energy. “We have looked at both the positive environmental impact of clean energy as well as the economic implications of the high cost of fuel. After the scare of 2008 when oil prices moved above US$140.00 per barrel there has been a realization that the future lies in cheaper, renewable forms of energy. We at Starr Computers feel that solar energy as a source of power offers significant and lucrative investment opportunities for the future,” the Starr Computers General Manager said.
According to Majeed the costs associated with accessing the technology are relatively high at this time. “What we think will happen, however, is that prices will go down over the next five to six years. At this stage we believe that what has to happen is that solar energy needs to be promoted as an option and people need to be educated in the use of the technology.
Majeed said that the company has already begun to look at financing for the marketing of the new solar technology. ‘When we did the maths we worked out that you can actually secure a very basic system for around $1,800.00 a week over two years. We are working to put a financing system in place to make this possible.
Majeed told Stabroek Business that the introduction of solar technology here was not a question of competing with the Guyana Power and Light Company. He said that regular electricity outages and unreliable power supply usually result in a considerable amount of down time for businesses and students using the computer and the internet. “We currently have three different packages including one that will meet the needs of computer users.”
According to Majeed the investors were looking beyond the cost of introducing solar technology to Guyana. ‘We see something much bigger. Here in Guyana we have the advantage of the weather. The sun rises and sets every day and that is what solar energy relies upon. Frankly, countries like ours should be looking more aggressively at renewable energy,” Majeed said.
Majeed said that Starr Computers had taken “a deliberate decision” to invest in solar technology. “We believe that evidence of global warming will generate a greater sense of urgency about carbon emissions and that within the next decade or two those factors, plus the greater reliability of renewable energy will make solar energy a worthwhile investment.
Majeed told Stabroek Business that Starr Computers is currently the only business premises in Guyana that is fully powered by solar energy. The company has installed 32 solar panels on the roof of its Brickdam headquarters to provide electricity to power its lighting, computers and other utilities. “Purely from the standpoint of our own operations at Starr Computers solar power means significant savings in terms of electricity costs,” Majeed told Stabroek Business.
And according to Majeed while the term renewable energy has become a familiar catchphrase in Guyana, there was still the need to link the concept to solar energy. “We have already begun to popularize the solar energy option through interaction with a group of university students and part of our plan after we would have completed our showroom is to work with the Ministry of Education to have our science students do field trips to Starr Solar so that they can learn more about solar energy and its actual application,” he said. The first familiarization session is scheduled to take place on Thursday April 9th.
Majeed said that the decision by Starr Computers to power its own premises using solar energy was designed to create a laboratory through which it could provide practical demonstrations in the use of the technology. “Our showroom and the presence of the physical infrastructure at work will offer university students and others who are part of our field trips the opportunity to see solar power at work,” Majeed said.
