Guyana… a solar state

Apr 01, 2018 APNU Column, Features / Columnists

(Address by H.E. David Granger President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana
at the Founding Conference of the International Solar Alliance, New Delhi, Republic of India, on March 11, 2018)

The International Solar Alliance is particularly significant to the societies and economies of the small, sunbelt states. It represents a leap forward towards ensuring that solar power becomes more accessible and more affordable to more people.
States are not created equal. Small states are limited not only in size but usually, also, in human resources, technology and capital. Small states need support in the form of investment, innovative technology, infrastructural photovoltaic systems and capacity-building in order to close the technological gap with larger and richer states.
The International Solar Alliance, from the start, should support the energy ambitions of the small, sunbelt states by promoting:
– investment-financing mechanisms for solar technologies;
– information-sharing and technology transfer relating to solar energy; and
– capacity-building in the solar energy sector.
Guyana, a small state, signed and ratified the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance on 30th January 2018. It views the ‘Alliance’ as an essential element in ensuring energy, economic and environmental security.
Guyana aims at becoming a ‘solar state’. It is already in transition to becoming a ‘green state’.
Guyana is part of the Guiana Shield – the ‘lungs of the earth’. The ‘Shield’ spans an area of 2.7 million km2 and is one of the largest blocks of pristine rainforest on the planet. The ‘Shield’ provides environmental services that are vital to the survival of mankind.
Guyana’s green development thrust, however, is not merely about environmental and economic security. It, also, is about energy security. Energy from renewable sources is needed to power agro-processing, manufacturing industries, commercial offices, colleges and households – all essential to becoming a ‘solar state’. Renewable energy technologies will be a source for empowering women who are housekeepers and wh0 manage cottage industries and crafts and nurture future generations.
Guyana, consistent with this ambition, reaffirms its Intended National Determined Contributions (INCs) – made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – to “move closer towards a 100% renewable power supply by 2025, conditional on appropriate support and adequate resources.”
Guyana is ideally placed to become a ‘solar state’. Its strategic location in the Tropic of Cancer – and a mere 6.8 degrees north of the Equator – makes it suited for solar energy generation. It enjoys an average of 12 hours of daylight, all year round, with consistently high levels of solar insulation.
Guyana’s low population density of a mere 3.5 persons per km2 and the fact that many of its hinterland communities are small and isolated make solar energy a necessary response to the challenges of its demography and geography.
Solar energy, by reducing the negative effects of the use of fossil fuels, will ensure improved air and water quality while mitigating the adverse effects of climate change.
Guyana has begun to transition to increased solar power generation and use. Solar farms are being planned and established. Solar-powered street lights are being installed and government buildings are increasingly being equipped to use solar energy. Incentives are being offered to encourage this transition to solar technologies.
Guyana has the physical conditions for increasing generation but needs technologies to develop capacity in the solar energy sector. Much more needs to be done in other fields such as education, communication, transportation and housing.
The International Solar Alliance should seek to ensure that sun-rich, small states, such as most attending this summit, have access to solar technologies.
The ‘Alliance’ should seek to ensure that small states benefit from investment, innovative technologies, photovoltaic infrastructure, information-sharing and the dissemination of scientific and technological data. (End of Address)

THE ADVANTAGES OF SOLAR POWER

There are enormous advantages associated with the use of solar power specifically in the context of environmental impact and self-reliance.
The major advantage of solar power is that no pollution is created in the process of generating electricity. Environmentally, it is the most clean and green energy. Solar Energy is clean, renewable (unlike gas, oil and coal) and sustainable, helping to protect our environment.
Solar energy does not require any fuel. It does not pollute our air by releasing carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide or mercury into the atmosphere like many traditional forms of electrical generation does. Therefore, solar energy does not contribute to global warming, acid rain or smog. It actively contributes to the decrease of harmful greenhouse emissions.
It can be flexibly applied to a variety of stationary or portable applications. Unlike most forms of electrical generation, solar panels can be made small enough to fit pocket-size electronic devices, or sufficiently large to charge an automobile battery or supply electricity to entire buildings. Solar energy is quite economical in the long run. After the initial investment has been recovered, the energy from the sun is practically free. Solar energy systems are virtually maintenance free and will last for decades. It is not affected by the supply and demand of fuel and is therefore not subject to the ever-increasing price of fossil fuel.