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Solar power vs. expensive Gas-to-Energy project
Dear Editor,
Your editorial of Saturday April 11 on the Aurora Gold Mines (AGM) solar farm displays current evidence of my advocacy of solar power instead of the expensive Gas-to-Energy (GtE) project, which enriches foreign investors and contractors.
12 years ago, I set up a small home solar power system, which still supplies my needs. It cost US$5 per watt then with almost no maintenance, except that I changed my original lead-acid batteries, which lasted 4 years, for LiFePO4 batteries, which are still going strong. In 2021, when the GtE was said to cost US$900M, I advised friends and they installed solar power at US$2 per watt[i]. This same US$900M could have bought 5 kW solar power systems, each costing US$10,000 for 90,000 households across Guyana!
Each of such a system could power the usual household appliances. Current solar power systems are 8 kW for US$1.8 per watt with batteries and can power fridge, freezer, washing machine, microwave, water pump, ACs, deliver pure sine wave electricity to sensitive appliances like computing equipment, and even export to the GPL grid, as I see the GEA is trying to encourage.
The significance of the AGM solar farm is that it is buying 49.4 MW for US$100 million with battery power. This still translates to just over US$2 per watt with battery power and minimal maintenance. Compare this with the GtE for 300 MW, which will cost at least US$2.1 billion, and more likely, US$3 billion. This translates to US$7-10 per watt not even counting operation, maintenance and emissions. My hydropower estimate in 2021 of US$15 per watt was justified when the 150 kW Kato hydropower was reported to have cost the government US$2.3 million[ii], which is just over US$15 per watt.
| System | Installation cost in US$ | Power | Operation + Maintenance | Emissions | US$/watt |
| GtE | 2.1B – 3B | 300 MW | Plenty | Plenty | 7 to 10 |
| AGM solar | 100M | 49.4 MW | Minimal | None | 2 |
| Kato Hydro | 2.3 M | 150 kW | Small | None | 15 |
| Household solar | 14 k | 8 kW | Minimal | None | 1.8 |
We can all agree that AGM is here to profit as much as they can. They will not invest foolishly in powering their operations, or wait for the GtE to give energy; and now they won’t have to import fossil fuel in these times of shortage. Whereas, we have a Government that stubbornly and consistently loses money, and that plans to import and contribute to fossil fuel use in the long term.
Alfred Bhulai
Energy Technologist
[i] https://kaieteurnewsonline.com/2021/04/06/solar-energy-is-far-cheaper-than-the-us400-800m-gas-to-shore-project/
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