Largest-ever Cambodian solar project launched
Cambodia’s biggest solar power initiative to date – expected to provide electricity to 12,000 households in off-grid areas – will be completed on January 31, according to officials involved with the project. Yiang Tal, chief of administration at the Rural Electrification Fund, said more than 10,000 of a total of 12,000 solar home systems had already been installed in Ratanakiri, Preah Vihear, Siem Reap and four other provinces as part of a World Bank-funded project. Some villagers are already using their newly installed panels. Em Vanntha, a resident of Samrong village, in Pursat province, said he signed up for the program two months ago and had a 50-watt panel installed in his home in December. Previously, he relied on batteries for electricity. Em Vanntha said the US$5 a month he now paid for his solar home system was less than he paid to regularly recharge old batteries or buy new batteries…
