Poor people get solar power
PHUKET CITY: Solar power generation systems have been installed in the homes of 351 poor families in Phuket as part of a nationwide project to bring power to areas not yet connected to the main grid.
Announcing this at a meeting at the Thavorn Grand Plaza hotel on September 4, Prawat Siripatrodom of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEC), said that a further 100 householders have applied for solar power but were disqualified because they lack house registration documents.
The PEC and district authorities will work together to try and solve that problem, K. Prawat said.
He explained that the Solar Home System project has a budget of more than 5 billion baht from the central government, sufficient to install solar power in about 203,000 households around Thailand.
“So far we have installed systems in 180,000 homes. The remaining homes are mostly in the North and the Deep South,” he said.
“It costs around 25,000 baht a house to install a Solar Home System. When fully charged the battery can power two neon lights and a 14-inch TV set for around four hours.
“The systems have a working life of about 20 to 25 years. For the first two years, the company that installed them, Thailand Electric, will be responsible for their upkeep. After that, maintenance will be the responsibility of the local Tambon Administration Organization.”
K. Prawat also spoke about a plan to install submarine power cables to Koh Maphrao and Koh Naka Yai in Phang Nga Bay. The plan is expected to cost between 30 and 40 million baht for each island, he said.
He added that a proposal to bury the power cables along Thalang Rd in Phuket City is still under review.
