Dear Editor,
Solar Home Systems are intended for households that are too far away from an electricity grid or too far apart to make the installation of a grid feasible. On average, about $100,000 would have been spent in having a Solar Home System installed, and about $200,000 (inclusive of power house and network) in connecting a household to a mini-grid in a hinterland location. In a typical hinterland village/community, there would likely be a central area that would be served economically by a mini-grid, and outlying households would be served by Solar Home Systems. It was never intended for Government to provide both systems to any household.
There were errors made in the listing and distribution of Solar Home Systems at Citrus Grove, Port Kaituma. A number of households ended up with both benefits and were asked to return the Solar Home Systems they had inadvertently received. There was no question here of political party affiliation, whether for the Government or Opposition.
From its inception, the electricity supply at Port Kaituma was extended towards Citrus Grove, picking up the area where households were not too far apart. In preparing for this ongoing second phase of distribution of solar systems, when the Ministries of Amerindian Affairs and of Local Government requested lists of households which were still without some degree of electrification, Port Kaituma Power & Light was experiencing some difficulties and so Citrus Grove listed every household – those who had been connected to the grid, those who were in the grid area but could not afford to have their buildings properly wired, and those outside of the served area. In the due course, when the project was approved and the equipment procured had arrived, the distribution was set up to that original list.
It was recognised after distribution that many of the households that received systems were connected to the grid. The village leaders (who normally lead the distribution) completed the distribution according to the list. It should be understandable that requests would be made for those connected to the grid to return the Solar Home Systems, so that a brother or sister citizen of Guyana without any electricity would get that benefit.
As alluded to above, this programme of providing Solar Home Systems to hinterland households began in 2007. To date, nearly 20,000 hinterland households have benefited. The aim is to give every household some degree of electricity access. As such, the political affiliation or views of members of any household is not a consideration to receive a solar system. Accordingly, the appeal made for the return of the systems, from those who were given them in error, was not politically driven.
Yours faithfully,
Horace Williams
CEO
Hinterland Electrification Co. Inc.
