Solar serendipity: Photovoltaic rural electrification in Sri Lanka

Journal Article · · Solar Today; (United States)

OSTI ID:6805279

Williams, N ^[1]

---

1. Solar Electric Light Fund, Inc., Washington, DC (United States)

The Island of Serendib - formerly Ceylon, now Sri Lanka - has become a leader in the developing world in the number of rural households powered by solar electricity. Over three thousand Sri Lankan families now derive their electric service directly from the sun, using a single roof mounted PV panel. These solar home lighting systems are manufactured locally, using indigenous materials, from batteries to lights. The Kyocera solar cells are imported from Japan and the modules are assembled in Sri Lanka. Utilizing solar, Sri Lanka may be able to leap from the 19th century to the 21st without the harmful environmental consequences of conventional, centralized electric power production. Non-government organizations (NGOs) and international development agencies in Sri Lanka, spurred by the worldwide concern about global warming, are beginning to take a look at this proven technology as a viable energy supply option. With an enviable and inexhaustible supply of solar energy - an annual average of 6 peak hours a day - and with 2.3 million homes (over 10 million people) without electricity, including 16,500 unelectrified villages, Sri Lanka is poised to become a leading world model for solar rural electrification.

• OSTI ID: 6805279
• Journal Information: Solar Today; (United States), Vol. 5:7
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
SRI LANKA
PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SUPPLIES
COST
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
INTERAGENCY COOPERATION
LOW INCOME GROUPS
RURAL AREAS
USES
ASIA
COOPERATION
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
FINANCING
HUMAN POPULATIONS
ISLANDS
MINORITY GROUPS
POPULATIONS
POWER SUPPLIES
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
140600* - Solar Energy- Photovoltaic Power Systems