Canada-based consortium brings solar power, ‘smart meter’

Aug 01, 2016 News

hopes to assist in GPL’s power grid upgrade

Canada-based Guyanese company, Green Heart Tree Energy, has returned to Guyana with several Chinese companies with the aim of investing in manufacturing electric meters, helping Guyana Power and Light (GPL) with its power grid and introducing the ‘smart meter’ to Guyanese customers.

This follows calls from Government for the Diaspora to play an increased role in investing. Greenheart Tree Energy has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with three Chinese companies. These are Shanghai Jinling Intelligent Electric Co. Limited, Henley Engineering Management (Shanghai) Co. ltd. and TCI Ecology and New Energy Tech Company.

It is understood that Green Heart Tree Energy, which was in talks with Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) earlier this year, went to China and after discussions, returned to Guyana with the investors.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Edmund Klass, explained that in the case of Shanghai Jinling Intelligent Electric Company Limited, Greenheart is planning to partner with them to build a Smart Meter factory and testing lab in Guyana.

Should they be able to assemble the meters in Guyana, the company is looking to get into the South American and Caribbean markets.

In the case of Henley Engineering, Greenheart is looking to partner with that company on the infrastructure front. On the other hand, TCI was described as a company which developed “green cities”, that is, cities which largely operate on renewable energy such as solar, water and wind.

Since the plan is to import parts from China in order to assemble the meters locally, Shanghai Outsmart Industrial Company limited will be a facilitator in ensuring that high quality products are used.

Head of Henley Engineering, Gangyao Li, explained that one of the things he will be looking to supply to the Guyana Government is advice on its infrastructure and the projects it would be embarking on with Green Heart.

“I have come to Guyana, because Guyana is at a stage of development that we have been before. And one of the things I have come to do is to bring some of the experience and knowledge, to help Guyana go through this developmental process.”

He said that Guyana and China are both at different stages of development, but they were developing nonetheless. Li stated that expected areas of collaboration include power grid upgrades, bridges and roads.

“Some of the characteristics you see here remind you of China in the eighties,” he said. “What (knowledge) we have gained over the thirty years of development will benefit Guyana. This is a company that can also do infrastructure and alternate energy systems.”

Meters

Engineer and Operations Vice President of Green Heart Tree, Steven Chen spoke about the meters which the company hoped to introduce. He stated that the meters are remote controlled, prepaid systems. There will be advantages to both customers and GPL.

In the case of GPL, it was explained that the meter will allow the company to shut it off remotely if, for example, a customer is delinquent in paying bills.

In addition, it was pointed out that the machine collects data on usage, allowing the householder to determine his/her maximum power use and also at the national level, to determine the peak periods, surges and drops.

“These meters, because of the law, will belong to GPL,” Klass explained. “We will be the people who they will give the permission to build them, regulate them and seal them according to GPL’s standards.”

According to Klass, his company has engaged Go-Invest on acquisition of land. He related that there is land for investors being opened up along the East Coast of Demerara. He was confident that Government would facilitate his company in this regard.