Solar Innovations to look out for in Cambodia

Solar energy is advancing across industries and geographies; with new innovations making it more practical and accessible for off-grid households and small businesses.

In this post, we highlight solar technologies introduced in Cambodia through three of our quality certified solar distributors: Camsolar (c/o Empower Business Resources), Pteah Baitong (c/o Entrepreneurs du Monde) and Lighting Engineering Solutions. Here are their exciting new solar products to look for in Cambodia next year.

Energy sharing for Residential Solar

OKRA Solar smart controllers were introduced in June 2018 with two pilot projects in Cambodian off-grid communities: (1) Prey Pdao, Takeo Province in partnership with Camsolar and (2) in Phnom Aural, Kampong Speu Province in partnership with Pteah Baitong.

Founded in 2016, this Australian-founded technology company based in Cambodia and has created a charge controller that allows solar home systems and batteries to be interconnected, resulting in the creation of smart micro-grid that can grow over time as the energy needs of the community increases. Their plug and play micro-grid is, simply put, a cable from house to house that creates a network where solar power generated can be shared if not consumed, reducing energy waste and making energy more affordable for those who do not have a solar system in their house.

Key features:

• Reliable access to electricity: Once a battery is empty in the network, power can be pulled from other parts of the network;

• Battery life cycle improved: No battery will hit deep discharge – lengthening the life of the battery by two;

• Wasted power minimised (+35%): When a battery is fully charged, excess power is distributed to other batteries in the network

To learn more, please watch this overview video:

Solar Power Box – AC/DC integrated inverter

The solar distributor Lighting Engineering Solutions introduced in May 2018, a new solar system with an integrated inverter from Xindun, which can be connected to or used for both On-Grid and Off-Grid to serve domestic and productive users.

These systems can be powered from solar, wind power or a combination of both with AC input for any existing generator or grid. Xindun TYN series model is an efficient power supply, with different ranges from residential to commercial that can power household appliances to larger load like water pumps, chick incubators or refrigeration systems. With an efficiency above 85% on average, it is an optimal solution to replace diesel generators.

Choosing the right solar system for you

Bringing it back to you, the bottom line is there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for solar. Even “the best” solar system might not make sense for you, depending on the amount of energy needed.

Whether you are still in the exploration phase or ready to install soon, knowing what fits your needs is the first crucial step. It sets you up to receive bids from several viable companies who make sense for you.

Curious about the optimal fit for your home or business shape, size, and location? Find and get in touch with one of our quality certified solar distributors here.

What is the Good Solar Initiative?

With funding from the French Development Agency (AFD) and the European Union (EU), SNV is implementing since 2014 the Green Microfinance Program, the largest off-grid household solar market development initiative in Cambodia to date.

Building on a comprehensive approach to remove market barriers – such as low consumer trust and awareness and market spoilage created by poor products, consumer and enterprise financing constraints, and limited routes to market – the intervention aims to support rapid growth of the local off-grid solar sector while establishing sustainable market structures to benefit local solar entrepreneurs for years to come.

To learn more about this project, please visit the Program webpage.