First customer of quality-assured solar in Cambodia

On 18 September 2015, the AFD/EU-funded Solar Microfinance Program celebrated the very first customer of a solar product certified by the ‘Good Solar™ Initiative’. The Good Solar™ Initiative has been set up as Cambodia’s first-ever certification and quality control system for solar companies and their products. It helps rural consumer recognise reliable solar companies and makes an important contribution to curbing the prevalence of low quality solar products available in the market.

A villager from Tropieng Russi Commune in Kampong Thom province was the first to purchase one of the newly certified solar products for his family of three. The selected 80 Watt peak solar home system will give the family enough energy to power lights, a TV, and a fan for several hours every day. The accredited solar company that installed the system, Krousar Solar, will provide after-sales care to the family.

The family uses a dedicated solar microloan from Visionfund Microfinance Institution to pay off the solar system over the coming 18 months. Created under the AFD/EU-funded Solar Microfinance Program, these solar loans are now available to Cambodian households in rural, off-grid locations. The program works in partnership with 4 Microfinance Institutions – Kredit, LOLC, Chamroeun, and Visionfund - to increase the availability of consumer financing services for solar home systems.

The Solar Microfinance Program is funded by the French Development Agency AFD and the European Union.