Residents from hinterland communities in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six on Friday last completed a five-day training session aimed at teaching them how to install and maintain the 65-watt solar systems that are to be distributed soon.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release technicians from the Hinterland Electrification Unit of the Office of the Prime Minister who conducted the training taught the theory pertaining to the basics in electricity and the installation of points as well as the practical aspects.
The persons who are trained are expected to return to their respective communities and spearhead the installation which includes installing the panel itself on the outer part of the building and switches and bulbs internally.
Over the next four to six weeks, two persons from each of 160 villages and clusters will be trained.
Government, the release stated, has approved the procurement of approximately 11,000 systems, financed from the national treasury, which will be distributed to indigenous communities across the country.
The solar home system will provide each home with power for lighting small household appliances and to generate income.
CEO, Hinterland Electrification Unit, Horace Williams, informed toshaos at the 5th Annual Toshaos Conference, which concluded last month, that a team from the Office of the Prime Minister would have been visiting communities to conduct training exercises at various levels, since residents would be the ones responsible for the systems’ upkeep once installed.
While the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs distributed 574 solar panels to 16 Amerindian communities in Regions One, Two and Nine under the Unserved Areas Electrification Programme, the release said, 1,750 hinterland homes have benefited from electricity through solar panels under the US$28.2M Unserved Areas Electrification Programme from 2002 to 2010.
The project plays a critical role in achieving the Millennium Development Goal of ensuring environmental sustainability in Guyana and will rectify the long-pervading inequity by providing access to clean and renewable energy throughout hinterland communities, thereby contributing significantly to Guyana’s overall Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), the release added.
