Cambodia Wakes Up To Solar Energy
Cambodia's burgeoning solar industry received a boost when it was announced that 12,000 solar panel systems are to be installed to help spread green power to rural villagers who are not connected to the national grid. The advantages of solar energy in this case are obvious as they will have access to things we merely take for granted in the western world. The REF - a World Bank supported public institution aiming to provide electricity to every Cambodian village by 2020 - plans to sell the solar panels to rural households on a monthly payment basis. Foreign and domestic vendors will be invited to submit bids next month to supply the REF with 12,000 sets of solar energy panels, batteries and wiring which will then be sold individually to rural Cambodian households. This solar energy project is funded by the World Bank's $67.92 million Rural Electrification and Transmission project loan, which is set to end on January 31, 2012. Mao Sangat, director of privately owned supplier Solar Energy of Cambodia said, "Over the last decade, it seems demand for solar home systems are growing." At the first Asian Solar Energy Forum held in Manila, Asian Development Bank (ADB) officials said Asia's fast developing nations were in the perfect position to solar energy and added that assistance from development institutions was crucial to growing the industry.
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