My Thoughts on Technology and Jamaica: JPS Co says Prepaid Power by December 2014 – How SolarMill Alternative Energy Solution will be a part of Prepaid Power

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

JPS Co says Prepaid Power by December 2014 – How SolarMill Alternative Energy Solution will be a part of Prepaid Power

“We wanted to get it in and piloted before our Customer Information System upgrade. We will be able to roll it out after the pilot, we think in the fourth quarter islandwide. We are excited for customer”

CEO of JPS Co (Jamaica Public Service Company) Kelly Tomblin commenting on plans to implement Prepaid Power in Jamaica

Finally at long last, the JPS Co (Jamaica Public Service Company) has made up its mind and has announced plans to roll out Prepaid Power by December 2014 as announced in “Prepaid electricity service for Jamaicans by year-end”, published Sunday July 27, 2014, The Jamaica Gleaner.

JPS Co has allegedly been testing Prepaid Power under the quiet among a select set of Guinea-Pigs….er, I mean customers….. in Portmore, St. Catherine. It should have come on stream back in July 2013, a  topic about which I’d written and had actually been interviewed on CVM TV on Monday May 20th 2013 as I’d chronicled in my blog article entitled “Prepaid Power coming in July 2013 - A Chip, a Pebble a Rock and a Block would make Prepaid Power The Kings of Summer”.

Prepaid Power by December 2014 - Remote Billing and Remote Disconnection a possibility

No details on Prepaid Power, muchless the name, save to say the concept is very similar to Prepaid Voucher Credit from Telecom Providers as explained in my blog article entitled “JPS Co introduces Prepaid Power and reduces Industrial Electricity Rates in July 2013 - JPS Co copies Telecom Providers as it performs The Last Exorcism Part II of Jamaicans stealing Electricity”.

All controllable via a Digital Smart meter whose usage you can gauge via an App on your smartphone or query via SMS (Short Messaging Service) or Text Messaging. Prepaid Power would basically be configured like Prepaid Data Plans as used by Telecom Providers and would be broken down into four possible services:

1.      1 Day Power Services
2.      7 Day Power Services
3.      14 Day Power Services
4.      30 Day Power Services

 This would make Remote Billing and Remote Disconnection a possibility as described in my Geezam blog article entitled “JPS Co Analog Meter upgrade heralds Remote Billing Revolution”. One thing is for sure though; if this is implemented, it’ll be as popular as Prepaid smartphones!

And just as the JA$3999 Huawei Ascend Y330 smartphones from Telecom Provider LIME is popular as declared in my blog article entitled “JA$3999 Huawei Ascend Y330 vs JA$7599 Digicel DL700 this Summer of 2014 - Waggonists Transfer Form not Required to get new smartphone”, it may be powered by Telecom Provider LIME Data Network.

Prepaid Power by December 2014 – How SolarMill Alternative will be a part of Prepaid Power

Since July 2013, a lot has happened.

For one, JPS Co in September 2013 has entered into a deal with US Based WindStream Technologies to market their SolarMill Technology in Jamaica as noted in my blog article entitled “JPS Co decided to market WindStream Technologies SolarMill, the all-in-one hybrid Solar and Wind Generator - Winter is Coming for a Game of Thrones in Jamaica”.

Additionally the CET (Common External Tariff) on Alternative Energy Gear has been removed since February 2014  my blog article entitled “Common External Tariff Removed from Alternative Energy and Energy-Saving Devices - Prepaid Power realistically Possible as Electricity Thieves can seek Repentance by going Solar”. The importation of Solar Panels and anything Alternative Energy related is a little cheaper for the financially well-off.

JPS Co may thus have plans to not only implement Prepaid Power, but to also introduce other services tied to Alternative Energy. This as Prepaid Power requires that the customer’s Premesis have a Digital Meter to accurately gauge Power usage, Provider Remote Billing Services and Remote Disconnection once the amount that the customer has paid for in KWh has been used as per my blog article entitled “JPS Co New Digital Meters are all Smart Meters - Winsome Callum's A Simple Twist of Fate”.

Once installed and a customer is on the Prepaid Meter System, which of course is a Digital Meter, they may in the future opt to have a SolarMill installed at their Premesis. This option would be via an Alternative Energy Loan in partnership with ScotiaBank or JNBS (Jamaican National Building Society) as described in my blog article entitled “ScotiaBank and VMBS now offering Alternative Energy Loans - Rise of the Guardians to make Solar Power affordable to Jamaicans”..

Then the customer would pay a Flat Rate Power Service Plan instead of a 1 Day, 7 Day, 14 Day or 30 Day Power Services Plan. That Flat Rate Power Service Plan covers both the loan repayment for the SolarMill as well as Billing for usage.

This would effectively the equivalent of a Prepaid Data Plan usually used by Telecom Providers to provide Electricity as described in my blog article entitled “Digicel's JA$70 Data Plans vs LIME's JA$50 Data Plans - How to choose 3-Day and 30-Day Data Plans in Jamaica”.

That last part may sound crazy. In fact, ludicrous!

But considering that Electricity Costs may not go down anytime soon via the so-far stalled 381 MW LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) Project described in my blog article entitled “Dr. Vincent Lawrence to oversee the 381 MW LNG Project - All Powerful Essene Brotherhood to Resurrect PNP General Election 2016 Win like Osiris, anything is possible.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see JPS Co go this route of Flat Rate Power Service Plan to BOTH sell both WindStream Technologies SolarMill Technology

All in a bid to provide a service and be paid for said service, which is the  production and Distribution of Electricity, be it generated or from Alternative Energy Sources. Stay tuned as mode Details come to light!




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