Solar energy – a money saver for Jamaican homes and businesses

Not only can they use the grid as a back-up, but in times when they are generating more electricity than they need, they can sell power to JPS and get some remuneration, and
that again will help to defray the cost of putting the system on their roof,”

Solar Energy Ideal Option for Many Jamaicans, Jamaica Information Sevice, By Latonya Linton 30 MARCH 2012  With the increase in oil prices and ultimately electricity bills, for many Jamaicans, solar energy can prove to be an ideal source of power for homes and businesses. To this end, the Government has been encouraging Jamaicans to use renewable energy, such as solar energy, as a means of reducing electricity cost.

Senior Energy Engineer in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy
and Mining (STEM), Gerald Lindo, tells JIS News that there are two
ways in which to install a solar system in homes or businesses and
still reap the benefits.

“You can put the solar panels on your roof, have them connected to
some batteries that feed into your local needs at your house or your
small business, or you can have a grid-type system to (show) that you
are connected to your solar panel and you are connected to the
electricity grid as well,” Mr. Lindo explains.

He explains that when the solar panels are active and the sun is
shining, energy or electricity is being produced from the solar
panels.

“When there is cloud cover  or it’s night, you switch back in a
dynamic way to the grid, so you are drawing either from the panels or
from the grid. That way the grid acts as your back up. The grid style
system is a lot cheaper for people to implement generally, because
batteries are very expensive and they tend to wear out over time. It
is usually more economical, even though you are never truly
independent of  the  Jamaica Public Service (JPS),” Mr. Lindo
states……

“It allows for people who are generating electricity through renewable
means to connect to the grid. Not only can they use the grid as a
back-up, but in times when they are generating more electricity than
they need, they can sell power to JPS and get some remuneration, and
that again will help to defray the cost of putting the system on their
roof,” he adds…..

In the meantime, he says there are a number of ways in which persons
can acquire solar energy equipment without having to bear all the cost
at once.

“One of them is a loan through the National Housing Trust (NHT). The
NHT has offered solar loans since 2006 for solar water heaters and in
2008 for photovoltaic panels. …

The Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) also has loans available which
can assist in buying solar energy equipment. The funds that are
available through the DBJ are provided by  the World Bank…
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March 31, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general