A sweeping G$885 million (≈ US $3.5 million) programme will soon bring rooftop solar arrays to 21 Amerindian communities across Guyana, delivering reliable electricity to roughly 12,700 residents.
Key points
- Clean-energy push: The installations form part of the government’s drive to cut diesel dependence in remote areas and extend 24-hour power to hinterland households, schools and health posts.
- Digital & economic lift-off: Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips told the National Toshaos Council that steady power will unlock online education, tele-medicine and small-business opportunities, shrinking Guyana’s “energy and digital divides.”
- Region 9 case study: Upper Takutu–Upper Essequibo already hosts 5.2 MW of mixed generation (diesel, hydro, solar) but taps only 2 MW. Phillips said the idle capacity, once paired with new PV, can fuel mango- and cashew-processing ventures and other micro-enterprises.
- Skills pipeline: Reliable connectivity has let hundreds of hinterland students enrol in GOAL e-scholarships; fresh graduates are now returning home with new skills, reinforcing the administration’s “sustainable and inclusive” development agenda.
Work on the retrofits begins this year, aiming to prove that sun-powered grids can anchor both economic growth and modern public services in Guyana’s most isolated regions.
