By Akeem Greene
Funded by the People’s Republic of China to the approximate cost of G$5.8 million, a spanking new solar panel system was officially commissioned at the Everest Cricket Club.
The project is ultimately geared to significantly slash the club’s utility bill, thereby allowing for more investment in the production of young talents.
The 36 solar panels have the capacity to generate 16.7 kilowatts of energy. That effectively means that providing there is an extremely sunny month, the club, during the day, can potentially function solely on solar energy.
For this month, which has been extremely overcast, 35% of energy came from solar.
As part of a partnership between the Club and the Guyana Power and Light (GPL), excess energy would be fed into the GPL grid.
Such benefits have enthused Club President, Manzoor Nadir, about reduced costs in monthly utility expenses, which can now be diverted to developmental purposes.
“In order for clubs to function, flourish and realise the potential of its members, membership dues alone cannot suffice, and so you have to have a revenue mix in terms of generating inflows and thinking about projects to cut cost, which is a formula for financial sustainability,” Nadir expressed.
He further informed that the Club will shortly have a capacity to store 2,000 gallons of water, which will reduce the G$50,000 monthly bill.
“By cutting cost we are now able to put more money into hiring better technical coaches for our young players,” the ECC President stressed.
Everest and China through the Embassy in Guyana have been partnering since 2018, and Ambassador Guo Haiyan was present to cut the rib at the ceremonial opening of the project, which started in June 2021 and has been tested since November.
Ambassador Haiyan indicated the Embassy is happy to be part of the project and that the “modest contribution” is echoing the call by Guyana’s Government about low energy emissions and sustainable development.
Dr. Mahender Sharma, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Guyana Energy Agency, highlighted the cost-effective nature of the system.
“The way this is configured, it allows energy to be stored in a battery to provide back-up supply in the event of an outage, but more importantly it offsets the energy needed for the building and does not take that energy from GPL.”
According to Dr. Sharma, the supply is about 2,000 kilowatts per month, which saves Everest about $100,000 per month, and from an environmental standpoint, the use of this renewable energy means the club is not utilising fossil-based energy, which offsets the carbon dioxide (CO 2).
It is approximately 1–1.5 tonnes of CO2 being saved a month from the environment, which is equivalent to a tree over its 40-year lifespan absorbing the aforementioned amount of CO2.
Orville Crichlow, Project Officer at Guyana Power and Light, has indicated the partnership is part of the quest for more renewable energy programmes.
Everest partnered with SPECOM (Standby Power Engineering Company) to execute the project. The Club’s aim is to inspire other entities to invest in renewable energy programmes.
