Digicel Group has deployed an energy saver across its network in Jamaica, which is expected to cut cost by US$1.4 million ($130 million) annually.

The eVolution Networks’ Smart Energy Solution (SES) is a fully-automated, intelligent software solution, which deactivates base stations during low traffic demand, while ensuring that subscribers are provided with continued high quality of service.

A Digicel store in New Kingston.

“The solution fits seamlessly into any multi-vendor, multi-technology network, eliminating the need for Digicel to invest additional capital in base stations and allowing Digicel’s engineers to continue working as usual without having to divert any time and energy to system maintenance,” said a release issued by the telecommunications company yesterday.

Digicel began testing SES in early 2012, achieving significant reductions in energy consumption.

In October, Digicel fully commissioned SES network-wide, becoming the world’s first mobile operator with the “green solution”, which should result in energy and carbon savings of 2.8 gigawatt-hours and 1,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) respectively.

“eVolution’s SES is the most mature and cost optimised energy saving platform on the market,” said Stephen Curran, network design director for Digicel Group. “It provides a valuable solution for cutting energy across our base stations and best positions us to capitalise on the shift to a fully green network.

“Having successfully completed the deployment of eVolution’s solution across most of our base stations, we are now ready to demonstrate the full capabilities and unique advantages of the solution across our 30 other markets across the globe.”

As soon as it became operational on the Digicel Jamaica network, SES conducted both a thorough radio coverage analysis and a deep study of the typical daily traffic patterns of each existing base station across the network.

These two steps allowed SES to create individual traffic profiles for each base station across Digicel’s network

Digicel Group has deployed an energy saver across its network in Jamaica, which is expected to cut cost by US$1.4 million ($130 million) annually.

The eVolution Networks’ Smart Energy Solution (SES) is a fully-automated, intelligent software solution, which deactivates base stations during low traffic demand, while ensuring that subscribers are provided with continued high quality of service.

A Digicel store in New Kingston.

“The solution fits seamlessly into any multi-vendor, multi-technology network, eliminating the need for Digicel to invest additional capital in base stations and allowing Digicel’s engineers to continue working as usual without having to divert any time and energy to system maintenance,” said a release issued by the telecommunications company yesterday.

Digicel began testing SES in early 2012, achieving significant reductions in energy consumption.

In October, Digicel fully commissioned SES network-wide, becoming the world’s first mobile operator with the “green solution”, which should result in energy and carbon savings of 2.8 gigawatt-hours and 1,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) respectively.

“eVolution’s SES is the most mature and cost optimised energy saving platform on the market,” said Stephen Curran, network design director for Digicel Group. “It provides a valuable solution for cutting energy across our base stations and best positions us to capitalise on the shift to a fully green network.

“Having successfully completed the deployment of eVolution’s solution across most of our base stations, we are now ready to demonstrate the full capabilities and unique advantages of the solution across our 30 other markets across the globe.”

As soon as it became operational on the Digicel Jamaica network, SES conducted both a thorough radio coverage analysis and a deep study of the typical daily traffic patterns of each existing base station across the network.

These two steps allowed SES to create individual traffic profiles for each base station across Digicel’s network

The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) has ramped up its energy-conservation campaign by launching a new plan to help customers take control of their usage, even as it is granted new powers to go after individuals and businesses engaged in illegally abstracting electricity to the tune of about US$50 million (J$4.43 billion) annually.

President and chief executive officer, JPS, Kelly Tomblin, launched the SmartEnergy programme as an interim conservation measure as the company prepares to invest US$600 million in a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Old Harbour, St Catherine, cognisant that, if goes as planned, it will result in customers paying some 30 per cent less for electricity.

Tomblin initiated the programme against the background of what the JPS said, in a release, was a question posed by customers as to what they should do to reduce their light bills while the plant, scheduled to be completed in late 2014, is constructed.

The JPS CEO said the focus should be on conservation and efficiency.

To that end, the release said, the JPS “is leading by example”, by rolling out the programme at its Ruthven Road, St Andrew, offices where the level of conservation will be measured over time to assess the gains.

“SmartEnergy includes several initiatives aimed at helping customers take control of their usage by making the right choices, from the point of purchasing to how equipment and appliances are used,” said the statement.

Speaking at the launch event recently, Tomblin told participants JPS has a responsibility to guide customers in their energy usage, and should practise the very things it is asking customers to do.

She pointed out that in 2011, an independent evaluation was conducted by the Washington-based Castalia Strategic Advisors on options to bring down energy costs in Jamaica.

The consultants listed energy efficiency among their recommendations, indicating that customers could reduce their bills by up to 16 per cent by increasing the use of more energy-efficient technologies, Tomblin added.

“This is supported by similar research in Barbados and other countries,” the president and CEO said, adding that “JPS has a responsibility to help our customers realise the gains of using energy efficiently”.

The SmartEnergy plan will include an office energy-efficiency programme, an energy audit-certification seminar, stakeholder-education meetings, and an energy management-training programme for business customers.

According to the JPS, the Ruthven Road office will be the pilot for the company’s office energy-efficiency programme, which involves conducting an initial review of usage at that location, and working with the staff to adjust its pattern over time, in order to cut down on consumption.

Separately, the JPS’s head of corporate communications, Winsome Callum, responding to queries from Wednesday Business, indicated that a new back-billing policy approved by the Office of Utilities Regulation regarding, among other things, the illegal abstraction of electricity, will likely affect all categories of customers – residential, small commercial, large commercial and industrial.

The policy will affect customers across the island and allows back-billing for up to six years in some specified cases of irregularities.

She said it would be difficult to say approximately how many customers could be immediately impacted by the new policy, which took effect on June 1, because “this depends on the number of customers audited, and the number found with irregularities”.

Asked to quantify outstanding sums to the JPS as a result of illegally abstracted electricity, irregularities or under-billing, which the company has been trying to recover through back-billing, Callum said: “JPS loses approximately US$50 million per year as a result of illegally abstracted electricity.”

mcpherse.thompson@gleanerjm.com

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20120620/business/business5.html

Brandon Virgo, energy audit manager, Solarbuzz Jamaica, shows us the statistics capabilities of the software that accompanies the Owl Electricity Monitor. - Photos by Gladstone Taylor/Photographer

You monitor your electricity consumption daily, yet your electricity bill continues to climb unabated. Perhaps you have tried extreme cost-cutting measures, but the frustration continues to mount. Your electricity bill is just too high!

Solarbuzz Jamaica can help you achieve a desired level of energy efficiency. They recommend installing an Owl Electricity Monitor in your home or business which allows you to see and monitor your energy consumption. The monitor is plugged into your breaker panel and shows you how much energy each appliance in your home or business is using.

For a one-time charge of $24,000 (including installation and GCT), within the first month, you are able to see at least a 20-30 per cent decrease in your electricity consumption. According to Jason Robinson, chief executive officer of Solarbuzz Jamaica, people who have installed the product become more conscious of the energy usage of each appliance and begin to cut back on their energy cost.

Monitor usage

“For each day of the week, you can monitor how the energy is used. The monitor can be connected to a computer, which can help you to analyse the data. By analysing the data, persons can see what is costing them the most and make changes,” Robinson said.

Jason Robinson, CEO of Solarbuzz Jamaica, explains how the OWL Electricity Monitor works. - Gladstone Taylor/Photographer

The company, which is focused primarily on providing solar energy, recommends that people try to cut back on energy consumption before making the bold step to install solar-energy panels. Robinson said, initially, energy usage in the home or business must be determined, and whether a solar panel can be installed at the facility.

“Depending on how much usage is accumulated per day, we can determine the size of the system. Once we know the energy usage, we can start putting together the equipment – including the panels, inverters, electrical – and the labour cost,” Robinson said.

Solar systems can range from $800,000 to $1.5 million for a small house, and depending on the energy usage, can also range from $4 million to $5 million. There is a 25-year warranty on the panels, and the other components can last up to 12 years. A minimum maintenance fee is charged each year.

Robinson also recommends that people have their electrical breakers analysed and cleaned regularly – at least once per year. He said energy can be lost when the breaker panel is not efficient.

“The breaker panel is like the engine of the home or business. It needs to be maintained. We label each panel for persons to know where each breaker is connected, so in case of an emergency, they will know which area in the house they are turning off,” Robinson said.

He said to add a solar system or even the Owl Energy Monitor, the breaker panel must be cleaned. Some, he said, were not installed properly, while others are crammed and become hard to service or clear. He added that many breaker panels are overloaded and that causes it to ‘trip’ out all the time.

Solarbuzz Jamaica also provides wind power solutions. They also install anemometers and let their clients know if the wind speed is sufficient for a wind turbine to be installed.

The company also installs pool and pond energy solutions that use up to 80 or 90 per cent less energy. The costs vary, but can go up to US$2,000 (J$174,000).

Contact Solarbuzz at