ATL’s power solution
Temporary placement of solar panels available for those worst hit by Hurricane Beryl
MONTEGO BAY, St James — With predictions that some households in St Elizabeth may have to wait up to a month for power, ATL Montego Bay Sales Manager Janice Crichton plans to reach out to her clients in the parish to remind them of the benefits of solar power.
“We’re going to be targeting and reaching out to our customers on that side of the island to see how best we can partner and get them up and running. They can have energy from the sun; they can harvest that,” stated Crichton.
According to senior vp of energy delivery at Jamaica Public Service Company Blaine Jarrett surrounding communities have benefitted from power being restored to essential services such as the Black River Hospital and some National Water Commission systems, but not the entire parish.
The second largest parish in Jamaica, St Elizabeth was among the hardest hit by Hurricane Beryl. Many houses lost their roofs, the location where panels are typically positioned to get maximum exposure to the sun.
Crichton said panels can be temporarily placed at other locations.
“We can do a site visit free of charge and ascertain various scenarios as to where we could locate the system temporarily. When the roofs are back up, we go and put them up,” she explained.
“Our solar start kit starts with a four-kilowatt system. That system can run two rooms. It comes with nine panels and you get your inverter and your battery and everything that’s required for that setup. That system can run you $2.5 million or, depending on your situation, it can be a little less. It can be $1.8 [million]. We do the site inspection, ascertain your needs and then we go from there,” she added.
As of July 1, anyone who has made a year of contributions to the National Housing Trust may apply for a SMART home loan of up to $1.5 million.
“We can tailor a system for that $1.5 [million], a system that you can add on to later. You can add more panels. You can upgrade it,” said Crichton who also noted that customers can get preferential financing through lending institutions.
“We have recently partnered with Jamaica National Bank so there is an offer there where they get preferential rates. While we will not undertake the financing, we have partners,” she added.
