San Fernando Mayor Robert Parris has praised the installation of a solar panel system at the JC Mac Donald Home for the Aged, saying that it would see a reduction in carbon footprints, and operational costs.

It will also expose the elderly to a new thrust in environmentally-friendly technology.

Speaking at the official handover of the European Union-funded Solar Energy System, Under the Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+) initiative last Wednesday, Parris said, “I am part owner of a home for the aged, and I can tell you how expensive it is to run and that we depend on the generosity of NGO, CPO and organisations like UNDP.”

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative Ugo Blanco said this was the last of 12 solar installation projects throughout the country which were part of the GCCA+ initiative that began in 2020.

He said this initiative showcased two main objectives of the UN—fighting climate change and making sure that in this fast-paced world no one is left behind.

In his remarks, the Ambassador of the European Union delegation in Trinidad and Tobago, Peter Cavendish, reminded those in attendance audience that T&T’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Dennis Francis, is the 78th President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

Saying that they wish to have profound and long-lasting relations with this country, he said: “Although Trinidad and Tobago is a not a superpower, it has superpowers.

“We’ve seen the musicality, we’ve seen the excellent communication skills, we’ve seen the excellent reach-out ability and I think again here today, we’ve seen another side of Trinis, compassion. This project is built on compassion.”

Commending the projects at the various sites, he said: “The money has been so well managed and the cooperation has been so great, we may be able to squeeze in a few more projects.”

Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Planning and Development, Kishore Lutchman, said since the programme commenced in 2020, 26 sites were shortlisted from 164 applications, which represented a cross-section of NGOs, micro-enterprises, cooperatives, public institutions, situated in developing and remote communities across the T&T.