Solar cells to power up rural life

Published on Apr 19, 2004

For households not on the national electricity grid, good news is just around the corner. The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) is to offer people living in remote areas without electricity free solar cells, thus allowing them to generate their own power from nature.

The PEA has initiated a project called the “Solar Home System” to provide the free cells.

“Once the cells have been delivered and installed, those households should be able to generate up to 120 watts a day, said PEA deputy governor Prawat Siripatrodom.

At that rate, he said, people will be able to light two 10-watt bulbs while watching a 14-inch colour television for four hours a day. The PEA plans to begin installing the solar-cell panels next month.

Those interested can apply at PEA’s branches nationwide. Last year field officers went out to inform villagers that the project would be starting up the following year.

The participants will get the solar cell free but they will have to pay maintenance costs.

Prawat said around 290,000 households across the country could use these cells, leading the PEA to implement the plan in two phases.

The first, beginning next month, is aimed at installing the cells in around 150,000 households, which is expected to require a Bt4.2 billion budget. Prawat said everything should be complete by the end of this year. After that, the authority will begin the second phase, reaching out to the remaining houses, at a cost of Bt3.6 billion, with everything up and running by the end of next year.

“We hope that the project will let people enjoy the basic infrastructure the majority of the country has had for a long while, as well as open their eyes to new and wonderful things,” he said.

Prawat noted that solar cells were an environmentally friendly alternative energy source.

Jirapan Boonnoon

The Nation

[email protected]

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And then,after all the Thai have access to TV,,Maybe they can come up with a way to pay the hospitals for the 35 baht fiasco,so they can afford to restock the pharmacy's so the Thai can still receive their meds.and the hospitals could return to full operation

The goal is to get enough free power so the up- country folks can run a radio to listen to fearless CEO on Saturday mornings and all his cheerleading.

2- 10 watt lights! My god!! No sunglasses or some welding goggles to cut the glare?

2-10W bulbs of the new energy efficent bulbs do make a lot of lumens,site more than that can with the flame coming out or the carbide lamps that they use now,coarse the carbide lamps are fairly economical and do make a pretty good light.

and every Thai has a TV,without a TV and cell phone they would cease to exist and then the fuel bills at the WAT would go way up.