GOJ to introduce Solar or Wind powered LED Streetlights in 2013 - Amour for the Jamaican Les Miserables Energy Sector Liberalization

Looks like the GOJ (Government of Jamaica’s) gotten hip to the idea of LED (Light Emitting Diodes) as a means of reducing their JA$2.8 Billion Electricity Bill for the estimated 93,000 Street Lights across the length and breadth of Jamaica as per the article “Gov't seeks to reduce costs for street lights”, published Thursday, December 20, 2012, The Jamaica Observer and “Cabinet approves policy to cut street light bill”, published 2012-12-20 08:49:38, Go-Jamaica. This came to light in a Jamaica House Media Briefing chaired by Information Minister Sandrea Falconer on Wednesday December 19^th 2012.

And without it being said, I already have an idea who the Contractor may be: American-based Green RG Management LLC (Green RG) as per my blog article entitled “Solamon Energy Corp & Green RG invest in Jamaica's Alternative Energy Future - Let the Cheaper Energy Hunger Games for Latin America Begin”. 

About time too that GOJ’s made news on this necessary upgrade public. Since November 2011, the GOJ’s been saddled with an ever increasing Electricity Bill mainly due to Mercury Incandescent Bulbs used in Streetlights. Even worse, most of them have malfunctioning photocells and are still on in the daytime burning current as noted in “Day-Burning Street Lights Costing JPS”, published Sunday November 20, 2011, Gary Spaulding, Senior Staff Reporter, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Back then in my blog article entitled “Alternative Energy Contract for JPS Co Streetlight Upgrade Coming - JPS Co Winsome Callum's Bourne Supremacy”, I’d suggested the GOJ may have a massive contract up their sleeve to change out all Streetlights to LED Lamps powered by Solar Panels or even mini wind Turbines, taking the GOJ off the JPS Co Grid altogether. Traffic Light could be next, many of which already use LED but could be taken off the grid using Solar or Wind Turbine Technology from Green RG.

Green RG already has deals with the GOJ to be Guinea Pigs for their Technology with the aim to get the various Ministries of Government off the Grid as discussed at length in my blog article entitled “Solamon Energy Corp & Green RG invest in Jamaica's Alternative Energy Future - Let the Cheaper Energy Hunger Games for Latin America Begin”. 

More recently I’d posited the same idea as well along with a raft of other suggestions in anticipation of the introduction of Prepaid Power from JPS Co in my blog article entitled “JPS Co to introduce Prepaid Power and other Services by 2013 - Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn 2 Signals Coming Competition from Alternative Energy”.

Those measures for reducing Ja’s consumption of Electricity and prevent the dumping of inefficient Products in Jamaica are:

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

5.      Implementation of a policy of Net Billing Building Code Regulation to have all houses fitted so that they’re ready for customer to install Solar Panels to resell power back to JPS Co as per my blog article entitled “Phillip Paulwell makes Net Billing official with 11 licenses issued - JPS Co invited via Mavado's Come Round a Mi Yard”

The GOJ’s gotta reduce its massive Electricity Bill as had been promised since 2011 by the then JLP-led Administration as noted in my blog article entitled “GOJ and Government Ministry's Energy Usage - Senator Audley Shaw and the Langoliers”.

The GOJ may even end up producing excess power that they can resell to JPS Co via a Net Billing Arrangement as described in my blog article entitled “Phillip Paulwell makes Net Billing official with 11 licenses issued - JPS Co invited via Mavado's Come Round a Mi Yard”, as the Li-Ion Batteries inside of the Solar or Wind Turbine powered LED Streetlights don’t take long to recharge.

Good to see the PNP-led GOJ’s championing LNG and are now making progress towards the start of the SJPC (South Jamaica Power Company) LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) Power Plant. This LNG Plant begins construction in the Second Quarter of 2013 as reported in my blog article entitled “SJPC, the Marubeni, EWP and JPS Co consortium's to begin LNG Plant Construction in Q2 of 2013 - Jamaica's On A Mission towards The Impossible Promised Land”.

However, despite all this apparently coordinated Energy Saving Activity, one thing is still true; cheaper Electricity is pointless if Electricity Consumption habits and importation of Technology that’s not Energy efficient continues without tighter GOJ regulation. To this end, a PR (Public Relations) Drive via JIS (Jamaica information Service) has to be done to educate the Public (yet again!) on Energy Saving tips as explained in the article “Dry your tears and wipe those bills”, published Sunday November 25 2012 by Camilo Thame Business Co-ordinator, The Jamaica Observer, to reduce their Electricity and Water Bills, being as the two are interconnected.

Ditto too JPS Co introduction of Prepaid Electricity as per my blog article entitled my blog article entitled “JPS Co to introduce Prepaid Power and other Services by 2013 - Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn 2 Signals Coming Competition from Alternative Energy”. Like using a Prepaid or even a Postpaid phone with fixed minutes from one our local Telecom Providers, you’ve gotta resist the temptation to top up unnecessarily and use only when needed.

Solar or Wind powered LED Streetlights is Amour (2012) for the Jamaican Les Miserables (2012) Energy Sector Liberalization.