CARICOM Secretariat joins green energy revolution

In keeping with the push toward renewable energy, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat is embarking on an energy project at its headquarters in Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.

According to the online newsletter, Caricom Today, the 400 kW solar photovoltaic power generation system project is being funded through a US$17.8 million Grant Agreement between the governments of Japan and Guyana. The project which began in 2020, was suspended three months after work began due to the pandemic. Work restarted in mid-2021 and the project will be formally handed over early in 2022.

More than 1 500 solar panels are mounted on the foregrounds of the CARICOM Secretariat Headquarters in Georgetown, Guyana, as part of the project works. Work also included the installation of panels, servers, batteries, and a car port.

Through the project, the Secretariat building is expected to obtain its energy from solar-based sources on a majority of its operating days. It is anticipated that the benefits the Secretariat will derive from the project will serve as an example of the transformation that can occur in public buildings across the Region and, by extension, an example of how the Region can utilise the renewable energy resources at its disposal to move towards greater energy efficiency.*