Jamaica Public Service (JPS), in partnership with the National Irrigation Commission (NIC), has completed the Amity Hall Solar Project in Old Harbour, St Catherine, showing how grid-connected renewable energy can power irrigation and lift agricultural productivity.

The project integrates a 100 kW Solar PV Net Billing System with the 18,000 m³ Amity Hall irrigation reservoir and 500 horsepower pumping facility, demonstrating how renewable energy, as an important part of Jamaica’s energy mix, can be connected to the grid to support irrigation and strengthen agricultural productivity.

It is the first completed initiative under the partnership between JPS and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding signed on August 14, 2024. The agreement advances agricultural electrification, climate-smart technologies, renewable energy and e-mobility across the sector.

The new 100 kW solar system now supports irrigation at the Amity Hall reservoir, the first completed initiative under the JPS-Ministry of Agriculture partnership.

“The Amity Hall Solar Project shows how renewable energy can be integrated into grid-connected agricultural infrastructure to support irrigation and strengthen productivity. Working with the National Irrigation Commission, we have delivered a model for future projects and agro-parks, as we help build a more productive, resilient and competitive agricultural sector for Jamaica,” said Dionne Nugent, Director, Customer Energy Solutions, JPS.

She further stated that “this project demonstrates a winning model going forward that combines renewable energy, reliable grid connectivity and energy innovation to support energy-intensive agricultural plants and facilities, while advancing agricultural development and electrification”.

As farming modernises, it relies ever more on electricity, from irrigation, cold storage and greenhouses to aquaculture, packing houses and agri-tech automation. JPS is helping farmers and agribusinesses become more productive and cost competitive through energy efficiency, while recognising that growth in production and agro-processing will require greater electrification.

Renewable energy, the company notes, is a tool for building a stronger platform for agricultural growth rather than an end in itself.

JPS is also positioning Jamaica’s agricultural sector for the development of e-mobility solutions including electric pick-ups, vans and trucks to reduce transportation and operating costs as part of the modernization of farming and agribusiness.