| Abstract: | With a significant unelectrified rural population, Sri Lanka has followed the evolution of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology in the West very closely since the 1970s as terrestrial applications for photovoltaics were developed. It was not until 1980 that the Sri Lankan government embarked on the promotion of solar photovoltaics for rural domestic use when the Ceylon Electricity Board formed the Energy Unit. Since then, solar photovoltaics has attracted the private sector, where several companies have been operating at different levels with varying degrees of success-Vidya Silpa, agents for Arco and now Showa, selling solar photovoltaic systems on a small scale; Power & Sun (now S.P.&L. Co. Ltd) with its solar photovoltaic module assembling facility and a marketing operation; Sunpower Systems, agents for BP Solar Australia, focusing on institutional systems; and BP Solar Australia working on government-funded projects-so that private solar photovoltaic promoters have now gained valuable experience in a variety of dissemination methodologies. In addition, Australian and Sri Lankan government-funded pilot projects such as the Pansiyagama 1000 home programme and the Uva Infrastructure Project with 74 large-scale solar photovoltaic systems for rural hospitals and water pumping schemes- both administered by the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) -have given all the local promoters further valuable insight into how and how not to promote solar photovoltaics. The establishment of community-based solar photovoltaic programmes by non-governmental organizations, such as the Sarvodaya Shramadana Society and the newly formed Solanka Associates, has developed a novel approach to bridge the gap between this state-of-the-art technology and the remotely located end-users. The developments in the Sri Lankan solar photovoltaic scene have attracted the attention of the World Bank. to quote from a paper presented by Loretta Schaeffer, Program Manager of the Bank's Asia Alternative Energy Unit in Washington at the Solar Energy Forum-SOLTECH'93-held on 28th April 1993 in Washington, DC: ‘The Bank may get involved in providing PV-powered household systems throughout the country as there is a strong private sector involvement and use of proven local experience in systems design, development, installation, operation and maintenance’. Even though 70% of the 3.3 million homes are unelectrified, acceptance of solar photovoltaics as a viable alternative by policy makers is yet to be fully realized in Sri Lanka. the main obstacle has been the relatively high cost of photovoltaics. In spite of this, the private sector companies, certain government agencies (such as the NHDA) and the non-government organizations view photovoltaics as a technology that could meet the basic needs for electricity of the rural people who, otherwise, would be left in the dark. |
