BEL unveils plan for green energy in Belize

Change has never been this green: that’s the statement made by the Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) in relation to harnessing the power of the sun. The utility company’s plan to electrify the energy sector includes having residents creating their own power through the use of solar panels. The company says it will discontinue the use of generators and aims to replace them with solar panels. Jose Moreno, BEL’s General Manager of Energy Supply and Transmission, says consumers will also have the option to sell excess energy to BEL.

Jose Moreno, General Manager, Energy Supply and Transmission: “BEL will not invest in generation ok ? But the plan will support us going renewable. The five year plan provides for us to connect some 16 megawatts of solar and also invest up to 40 megawatts of battery storage to support that. We have already requested the go ahead from the regulator to invite new proposals what they called an request for proposals from any parties that are interested in investing in this new generation source.” 

BEL’s Marketing and Sales Manager, Lisa Stanford, elaborated on the options consumers can make to go greener.

Lisa Standford, Marketing and Sales Manager: “Additionally for customers who have subdivisions or housing developments that they are dealing or even if they want to go solar BEL will be doing that investment to them and in those cases they will pay like a deposit that they have the opportunity to get back over time so the new access policy is opening up for inclusivity for more people to improve their quality of life so that’s one of the aspects of booth today. The other aspect is everything is better electric right ? From a standpoint of our world making it better for the planet right now and BEL is at the forefront of that 80% of the electricity that we offer in Belize is renewable energy and so going electric you will also be contributing to that it’s more energy efficiently appliances that are electric even the vehicles as well and over time it saves you money.”