Malvern Branch Library gets renewable energy system
ALMOST 130 years after the breadbasket parish of St Elizabeth pioneered the arrival and use of electrical power in Jamaica, the Potsdam community is now trailblazing the use of low-cost renewable energy in the field of education and information industry.
BMR Energy has donated a stateof-the-art solar and battery system to the Malvern Branch Library, a service point of the Jamaica Library Service island network of public libraries. Nestled in the verdant hills of Malvern, southern St Elizabeth, the library was built on land donated by the Bethlehem Moravian College. Malvern Branch Library is one of 10 branch libraries in the St Elizabeth parish library network and serves several surrounding communities.
BMR Energy, a member of the Virgin Group of Companies, is committed to bringing low-cost clean energy to the Caribbean and Latin America.
Alongside its chief strategic renewable energy objectives, BMR is committed to enhancing the communities i n which it does business. The 36.3 MW generating facility located in the larger Potsdam community is the company’s signature project. Since arriving in Jamaica eight years ago, the company has donated more than $100 million towards community development projects, primarily in the areas of education, safety and community development.
In endorsing the project, Minister of Education Fayval Williams commented that“today’s handing over of resources is a most welcome move given that while the Government i s providing billions of dollars in funding various aspects of schools’ operations and in the provision of resources to schools and students, it cannot do it alone”. She indicated that the ministry fully supports positive partnerships and lauds the work of BMR Energy in supporting schools in Jamaica as they carry out their corporate social responsibility.
The partnership with the Jamaica Library Service, BMR Energy’s Regional Director Ava * Tomlin explained, will effectively eliminate the Malvern Branch Library’s dependence on utilitysupplied electrical power and launch the use of their gifted renewable energy system. Installed by Iree Solar, the over $3.1-million system comprises 4-kw of solar electricity generating panels and a 5- kw peak output Tesla Powerwall battery energy storage system that provides 13.5 kw of useable energy. Malvern Branch Library is still connected to the electric grid via a net-billing licence. The system’s reduction in energy expenses serendipitously brings with it a renewed energy in the use of the now-modernised library space as an educational tool.
Minister of Science, Energy and Technology Daryl Vaz said the donation is “timely, as online classes will inevitably cause libraries to consume more electricity.
“With so many students using online platforms for classes, libraries are facilitating the educational advancement of our students through the provision of much-needed Internet access and computer service.” The minister further commented that the provision of solar systems is integral for the development of rural communities.
Jamaica Library Board Chairman Paul Lalor, who accepted the gift, said:“This gift could not have come at a better time and it fits very well into the vision for our organisation. Similar public libraries in developed countries across the world, have remodelled library buildings and internal spaces with significant investment in utilising renewable energy resources. This investment extends way beyond its cash value, as it is an excellent model and pilot of what our public libraries can look like in the future.”
In emphasising the benefits to especially rural communities, BMR Energy sees the initiative as a true educational instrument that straddles multiple community development resources.
BMR Energy President and CEO Bruce Levy noted that BMR has a very collaborative relationship with the community in designing and implementing mutually agreed initiatives that totalled over $100 million to date. He continued that “this contribution to the library embodies everything that means so much to BMR - sustainability, education and community development”.
‘With so many students using online platforms for classes, libraries are facilitating the educational advancement of our students through the provision of much-needed Internet access and computer service.’