Solar might just be the answer to our energy problem, but in order to know, we need to ask ourselves a few simple
1. Do I know exactly what JPS is charging me for?
2. Do I know the exact amount of energy my appliances are consuming?
3. Does my house meet the requirements for the installation of a solar system? For example; is my roof in good condition? Is part of the roof shadowed at any time during the course of the day?
4. What is the cost of a solar/ photovoltaic (PV) system?
5. How am I going to get funding for the project?
6. Which system would be more cost effective and better suited to my situation; a stand-alone system where I am independent of JPS or a grid-tied system where my photovoltaic system is synchronized with JPS and both work in tandem.
We at Solar Buzz Jamaica do believe that Solar is one of the best and cheapest alternatives presently available to us here
in Jamaica. However, we have noticed that in some cases it is not cost-effective for small homes and businesses to go solar. Based on the investments incurred for a solar system, the monthly JPS bill just may be cheaper, in other words the payback period may take years. Therefore, we recommend that no one should go blindly into installing PV systems without a proper energy assessment done on their home or building.
If we back track in November 2012 to the advice of the first official net billing JPS customer Mr. Gordon Lawrence, who
has had his solar system installed since 2008. He said,