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SOLAR ENERGY FOR SLORC



JAPAN TO CONSTRUCT SOLAR POWER STATIONS IN BURMA

Released by ISBDA on October 16, 1995.


Japanese business and technology  newspaper Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun reported
today that  JapanÕs Ministry of Trade and Industry  (MITI) is planning to  l
aunch a feasibility study program on the development of new  electric power
stations in Burma and other five countries in Asia. 

The program is administered by a nominally government-controlled
organization named as the New Energy Development Organization (NEDO)  and
it will take one year to find out possibility of solar energy power station
establishment in Burma while model business-operation areas are being
constructed in the mean time. This type of program is said to be intended
for transfer of Japanese technology to Burma and also to increase number of
environment-friendly electric power generators in the region. The report
did not mention total cost of the project or the estimated cost per one
unit of electricity  if the program is considered successful.

_The Solar Energy  for Third World?_

Regarding this new energy  issue,  ISBDA would like to share the following
facts to the readers:

By means of modern technology, the Electricity  generated by  any safely
operated solar power system will cost about US$ 10.00  for one Watt energy.

About 150W is generally considered as minimum requirement for a household
in a Third World Country.  With this energy  running a  set of TV & Video
and a fluorescent lamp is possible if they exist there in their home.
A lucky Burmese citizen usually earns  US$ 200. per year, which is just
enough to by JapanÕs solar energy of 20 Watts. 

 _Even in Japan_

A Japanese usually consumes 1000 times more than a Burmese does in terms of
electricity. This lage consumption rate led Japan to invest in a new
project called SUNSHINE PROJECT. After recent NEDO guided Sunshine projects
conducted in Japan,  the government persuaded Japanese consumers to install
solar electric generators at their homes to cover part of their 
electricity consumption. Due to extremely  high cost (US$18/Watt), most 
consumers could not effort  to install the new system even the government
offered last year to support some 50% of the initial cost.

>From these facts,  ISBDA  can say that Burmese people will need to return 
all their earning  for more than a decade toJapan via SLORC as their newly
installed power system  can keep a television set on.

\End of News & About