The very first renewable hybrid streetlight is to be installed in the Caribbean island country of Grenada by Irish company airsynergy’s wind and solar powered off-grid Remote Power Unit (RPU).
The hybrid streetlight made history following a collaborative pilot project between New York-based Aris Wind — the company licensed to sell airsynergy products in the US and the Caribbean — and local Caribbean operator Grenlec Utilities.
Gerry Ryan, CEO of Aris Wind, said: “As we sought demonstration sites, end users and partners throughout the Caribbean Islands, Grenada’s strong wind and sun resource made it a perfect place to start our Caribbean launch and we are delighted that Grenlec Utilities embraced the project.”
The streetlight is positioned at the highest traffic area on the island at an area known as the Sugar Mill Roundabout — a key intersection that opens all traffic to and from the airport and the university to the center of St George’s and the business district. “This is really the ideal location to allow people to see it and talk about it,” explained Ryan.
The off grid RPU powers an 80-watt LED bulb with inbuilt battery storage lasting up to five days.
Once the preparation work in laying the foundation was set, the RPU was installed within a few hours as a result of tilt up tower technology that sees the entire unit lifted by a crane and slotted into position.
Ryan added: “Aris will propose additional off-grid hybrid street lights for the island and, when ready, the demonstration of our new Total Energy Solution (TES) - an advanced on or off grid wind/solar power generation unit with optional water harvesting to power homes and small businesses.”
Source: Renewableenergyworld