…12 integrated solar powered street lights also installed
The Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), through a $9.6M project financed by the Government, installed, in the latter part of December 2017, twelve (12) integrated 80W solar powered street lights around the Stabroek Market Square and 750 energy efficient Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs around the eastern facade of the building.
As it pertains to the replacement of the seven hundred and fifty (750) 13 Watts compact fluorescent (CFL) lamps that outlined the eastern façade of the Market, with 7-Watts LED bulbs, Kenny Samaroo, the lead Engineer on the project, explained that “…the LED technology is more efficient than CFL and the change out will result in almost 50 % reduction in energy consumed…”
Moreover, the GEA in a release said that the integrated solar powered street lights that were also installed use renewable energy from the sun to charge the batteries which provide lighting at nights using energy efficient LED lights.
“The lights are controlled by a light sensitive circuit to switch the lights on in the evenings and turn them off at dawn. As part of the energy conservation features of the initiative, the technology dims the lights by 50% when motion is not detected and returns to 100% brightness when motion is detected. One advantage of the systems is that they are not powered by the utility, thereby avoiding the use of fossil-based energy from the grid and the associated costs” said the GEA.
CEO of GEA, Dr Mahender Sharma outlined that based on the existing Street Lights Tariff, the 12 solar powered street lights will result in annual energy savings of about 4,205 kWh, resultant annual cost savings of about G$184,170 and 2,523 kg of avoided CO2.
He said “the computed simple payback, when compared to a similar installation using utility powered 80W LED lamps, is 6 years. While the second component of the intervention will result in annual energy savings of about 19,710 kWh, resultant annual cost savings of about G$1,321,950 and 11,826 kg of avoided CO2. The computed simple payback is 1.6 years.”
The GEA says it will continue to monitor the installations and provide technical support and maintenance.
