Upsolar touts solar energy plant for NMI

An official of an international company specializing in solar power energy said yesterday that the high cost of power in the CNMI has slowed down the influx of foreign investors so that shifting to alternative energy will surely benefit the local economy.

Zhe Jiang, chief executive officer of Upsolar, said the these investors will be “much more comfortable” putting their money in the Commonwealth if the islands use solar power, positioning the Northern Marianas in “a very good direction.”

“Islands will be very good for solar development,” Jiang told Saipan Tribune.

Jiang and the rest of the Upsolar team were on island over the weekend to present their solar energy program to government and business leaders, seeking local partners that would allow them to initially establish a 5-megawatt solar power plant in the CNMI.

This system, Jiang said, will be parallel with the main grid of the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. He said that CUC customers can avail of solar power in the daytime, then switch to CUC power at night.

A French national, Jiang presented his program to some 30 individuals at the Chamolinian Room of Hyatt Regency Saipan yesterday.

Jiang founded Upsolar in 2006 in Hong Kong. It has established itself as a leader in photovoltaic or PV technology solutions. Now headquartered in Shanghai, China, Upsolar has expanded internationally, serving clients in over 20 countries with its 10 offices on three continents.

In his presentation, Jiang underscored the benefits of a solar energy system, which he described as environment-friendly as it does not cause pollution and “significantly” reduces energy costs.

“This kind of system, once the initial investment is done, there’s no variable cost to produce energy,” he said.

Jiang said “almost a hundred percent” of the CNMI depend on fossil fuel for electricity. Price for this fuel, he noted, has increased by 3,300 percent in the last 30 years.

Besides eliminating pollution, a solar power plant has “foreseeable cost” of energy for 25 years with no major maintenance needed during the operations.

Its disadvantages, however, would be a “relatively” high investment upfront and the need for “specific know-how” in designing, building, and operating the solar power plant.

“Upsolar’s Mariana Islands Program is to offer the advantage side of solar power to local partners,” said Jiang. The local partners’ role is to provide them with building rooftops or vacant lands to set up the solar panels. Upsolar and the property owners will have to sign a power purchase agreement or PPA “based on agreed electricity prices for 25 years.”

Despite the CNMI’s current economic downturn, Jiang believes that the islands can afford to have a solar power plant as the long-term investment will result in immediate energy bill savings, thus helping the local economy and encouraging investors to come in.

Jiang disclosed that they already built a solar power plant for an island near Africa through a local partner.

“I think it fits with the long-term development strategy of the government of the islands because people know that the fossil fuel energy is not sustainable. The only thing you know about that is that it increases every year,” he added.

Jiang’s team is expected to fly to Guam today and conduct a similar presentation.

For more information, visit www.upsolar.com.