JPS Co to introduce Prepaid Power and other Services by 2013 - Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn 2 Signals Coming Competition from Alternative Energy

“Jamaicans already have a Pre-paid Psychology”

President and CEO of JPS Co Kelly Tomblin at The Jamaica Observer’s Monday Exchange dated Monday 12^th November 2012

JPS Co (Jamaica Public Service Company) is finally seeing the light, pun oh-so very much intended. This as by early 2013, Jamaica may soon be able to pay for their electricity in much the same way they currently top up their phones as stated in the article “Time to top-up your power”, published Wednesday, November 14, 2012 BY SHAMILLE SCOTT Business reporter, The Jamaica Observer. 

           

JPS Co, it seems, is in tune with the season and is still in a giving mood after they’ve been given the green light for their parents, Marubeni of Japan and EWP (East West Power) of South Korea to procure the LNG and build said LNG Plant as noted in my blog article entitled “JPS Co parents Marubeni and EWP mull decision to supply LNG - GOJ to eat Humble Pie to avoid an Ice Age Continental Drift”.

Their investment in UTECH’s 100 KW Solar Plant to power the Campus as note in my blog article entitled “JPS Co to build 100 KW Solar Plant at UTECH - Marubeni of Japan and EWP (East West Power) Benevolence as LNG Project now Taken 2 the next Level for 2015AD” has been their first act of benevolence post-LNG agreement.

The Catch: you have to upgrade to a Digital Meter. JPS Co is currently installing \these new Digital Meter islandwide. However, the software for their NOC (Network Operation Center) is not yet in place to facilitate Remote Billing. That is to say, Prepaid Electricity instead of Postpaid as currently is the case for most Telecom Providers.

The fact that JPS Co is considering Prepaid as is the case in the Telecoms world is the main reason why this article ended up on for perusal and analysis in my blog. This, along with the above quote would close this article nicely.

If you remember, JPS Co was cleared of wrongdoing as relates to overbilling back in October 2011 as noted in my blog article entitled “JPS Co cleared  on Digital SmartMeters but chastized on 10-year backbilling - Future Plans from the Penguins of Madagascar”. JPS Co is clearly moving ahead with this project, which should make many Jamaican cheer as such a flexible facility for paying for Electricity should have long been introduced in a country that has “Pre-paid Psychology”!

I did predict this coming service before in my blog article as explained in my blog article entitled “JPS Co New Digital Meters are all Smart Meters - Winsome Callum's A Simple Twist of Fate” pointing out that the JPS Digital Meters are in fact Smartmeters and they’ll be billable over Telecom Provider LIME’s Network. Still sticking to that prediction.

Ditto too in my Geezam blog article entitled “JPS Co Analog Meter upgrade heralds Remote Billing Revolution” which points out that now only are the new Digital Meters to facilitate Remote Bill. JPSCo’ll also introduce other services as well, with Prepaid Power being among them as reprinted from my blog article and listed below:

1.      Pay-as-You-Go Electricity - pay for electricity in much the same way that you top up you Mobile phone

2.      Prepaid Electricity - pay for electricity in one (1) day, seven (7) day, fourteen (14) day or fortnightly or thirty (30) day usage

3.      Flat Rate Postpaid Electricity - pay one flat monthly payment based on a power audit to determine what you Class of Electricity Usage

4.      Power Audits – Provider accurate remote power auditing services for Business Customers

5.      Residential Solar PUC – as described in my blog article entitled “Google invests US$75 million in Residential Solar PUC - Aliens in future Energy Market Shakeup” to provide all the above services, minus transmission costs

6.      MPU (Mobile Power Units) – Diesel Generators, Solar Power or Wind Turbine Mobile sited in a vehicle that can travel to a location to provide power for a large even in remote locations

Looks like JPS Co fears the steady drumbeat of competition coming to Jamaica that the ruling on Tuesday, July 31^st 2012 as detailed in my blog article entitled “Justice Brian Sykes says JPS Co exclusive license invalid - Energy Sector Liberalization CURE and Bourne Legacy for Phillip Paulwell” suggests. Even as they appeal the ruling in Court, it’s already beginning to have a negative effect on them.

This as aside from facing Electricity theft, there is also wastage in their Network due to inherent inefficiencies in both the Power Distribution Network as well as the devices that connect to that Network drawing power even when off. This phenomenon, the so-called Vampire Power as described in my blog article entitled “Ad Valorem Gas, 10 percent GCT on Electricity and Alternative Energy - Night and Day” , is a major reason why a lot of Jamaican’s electricity bill is so high, as we mostly leave of Appliances and gadgets plugged in when not in use.

Within the State’s Public Infrastructure, another example of Vampire Power is Street-lighting that’s turning on in the day time when they should be off at night for which a contract is needed to upgrade them all to Solar Powered LED as suggested in my blog article entitled “Alternative Energy Contract for JPS Co Streetlight Upgrade Coming - JPS Co Winsome Callum's Bourne Supremacy”.

The other is the devices that are still being imported into the island that are Energy inefficient. To this end, GOJ (Government of Jamaica) needs to support more Electricity Efficient Devices coming into Jamaica as follows:

1.      Air Conditioning Units that are not Inverter based AND Solar Powered

2.      Solar Panels manufactured Jamaica. Cheaper due to the reduced damaged and transportation costs as argued by Dwight Cousins, Energy Solutions Department Manager at Isratech Jamaica Limited in his letter to Editor entitled “More on Isratech's solar operation” published Sunday November 11, 2012, The Jamaica Gleaner

3.      Incandescent Bulbs. They should have been banned a long time ago and replaced with LED (Light Emitting Diodes) and Fluorescent Bulbs as suggested in my blog article entitled “JPS CEO Damian Obiglio wants Incandescent Bulb ban - Jamaican in the Twilight Zone”

4.      Removal of Duties on the importation of Wind Turbines and Solar Panels, the price of which has been falling thanks to Economy-of-scale production in China as explained in “Solar power comes of age”, published Wednesday, April 11, 2012 BY PAUL RODGERS Business Editor, The Jamaica Observer

Jamaicans are holding its politicians to Vision 2030 demands for increased usage of Alternative Energy to lower the cost of Electricity as summed up in my blog article entitled “Ministry of Energy Clive Mullings alters the JPS Co License for Energy Sector Liberalization - Jamaica and The Sun Salutes You”.

Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Phillip Paulwell is fulfilling that promise of reducing Electricity costs via investments in Alternative Energy as announced in the article “Paulwell steps up bid for cheaper electricity”, published Sunday November 25, 2012, The Jamaica Gleaner.

To this end, the OUR (Office of Utilities Regulation) has issued a RFP (Request for Proposals) on Monday November 19^th 2012 for Alternative Energy projects to fill the gap of some 115 MW of Electricity for the Grid as stated in the article “OUR to issue RFP for renewable energy plants”, published Saturday, November 24, 2012 11:44 AM, The Jamaica Observer.

Thus ultimate prize awaits Jamaica via the liberalization of the Energy Sector; A transition to a Hydrogen-Electron Economy as stated in my blog article entitled “JPS Co parents Marubeni and EWP mull decision to supply LNG - GOJ to eat Humble Pie to avoid an Ice Age Continental Drift”.  

So folks, dry your tears if you’ll be facing heavy Electricity Bills this Christmas as summed up in the article “Dry your tears and wipe those bills”, published Sunday November 25 2012 by Camilo Thame Business Co-ordinator, The Jamaica Observer. This as aside from plugging everything out after you’re done using it as the above article suggests to avoid Vampire Power, relief is coming in the form of JPS Co The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn 2 (2012) introduction of Prepaid Power Come next year in 2013.

And all you have to do is upgrade to a JPS Co Digital Meter.