The minimum cost of installing solar panel is said to be around Rs.300,000. If this amount is banked in a Fixed Deposit account it will fetch a monthly interest of Rs.2,500 to Rs.3,000/-. Therefore this plan is prohibitive for small households paying less than Rs.3,000 as their monthly electricity bill.
Nevertheless, the present ‘crisis’ warrants immediate measures to make solar panel system viable for the middle class and also the farming community in the interior.
I have seen a farmer running a small water motor with a small solar panel at a cost of Rs.200,000 at Nagollagama.
Therefore, if a Solar Panel can be made for Rs.100,000 by “mass production” - CEB can subsidize 50% of the cost and the remainder to be recovered over two or three years. This plan will attract even the villagers in the interior, making a big saving for the “national grid” and a very profitable investment for the CEB in the long run.
Solar power also can be used side by side with the normal electricity supply for refrigerators, ceiling fans and all heaters which take more power, If desired.
This plan is bound to be a 100% success and all the domestics even is the interior villages will join in without any hesitation. Over to you CEB and the Minister of Power.
ANTHONY J. PERERA
MAKOLA