The Daily Observer (Banjul)
Amadou Jallow and Fatou Sowe
31 October 2009
Banjul — Renewable Energy Agency, a Non Governmental Organisation based in Brikama, Western Region, yesterday, lunched a Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) project at the office of the Western Region governor in Brikama.
The Compact Fluorescent Lamps are energy-saving bulbs designed to replace the incandescent bulbs. The project is funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Environmental Facility (GEF) small grants project. The replacement of the incandescent bulbs with the CFL, according to officials, was due to the fact that they are very inefficient and consume a lot of energy and as a result, release heat. Compared to the incandescent lamp, Compact Fluorescent Lamps are said to consume lesser energy and can serve up to 80% on electrical energy for the same light and also have longer life span. Shifting to CFL will therefore reduce energy demand for lightening and hence lower electricity bills and better environment in terms of Carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reduction to the atmosphere.
Governor Lamin Sanneh of Western Region in his welcome statement, noted the importance of the project, which he hoped will help cut down the monthly payment of electricity bills. lectricity, he said is an essential need for development without which many activities will retard. While calling on Gambians and the people of Western Region in general to support the successful implementation of the project, Governor Sanneh observed that in order to attain rapid and sustainable socio-economic development of the country, everyone need to add their weight to it. He commended the Renewable Energy Agency for the project and expressed hope that it will uplift the bill payment burdens on the people as expected.
Coordinator of the Renewable Energy Agency project, Peter Manneh, said some young Gambians formed the organisation in 1997. The project, he said aimed at promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency in the country. Their formation of the project, Manneh went on was prompted by their consciousness of the fact that considerable amount of household activities are done by electricity.
Manneh further told the gathering that the project will take a two-phase form and that the first phase replaces 1000 CFL bulbs while the second phase will replace 3000 bulbs within Brikama. He used the platform to thank the UNDP Global Environmental Facility (GEF) small grant project for funding the project.
In his official lunching of the project, the UNDP-REA project coordinator, Kebba Bojang, said UNDPÂ's Global Environmental Facility project is a global grant project that is operating in 125 countries and have funded over 10 community base projects since its inception. The programme, he added has five intervention areas; including the conservation of the biological diversity, climate change adaptation and mitigation and the prevention of land degradation, among others. The philosophy of the grant, he said is based on community action making impact, saying Â"we belief that if people are ready to work hard, they can make significant impact on the environment.Â"
Bojang further told the gathering that the switch from the incandescent bulbs to the Compact Fluorescent Lamp will greatly help in the reduction of electricity consumption. He then expressed UNDPÂ's hope to replicate the project to other parts of the country base on the successfulness of it in Brikama. Other speakers at the launching included Ba Saho, director of energy, who presented a topic on energy efficiency policy of the government; and Demba Chun from NAWEC, who also made a presentation on the topic: Â'the impact of energy efficiency on the environmentÂ'.
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