Demand for solar panels has soared in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, after the power supply was further reduced to just two four-hour slots per day across the country, including the commercial capital Yangon.
Small solar kits for charging phones and lighting are in especially high demand, according to an electronics store owner in Chanmyathazi Township.
“Most people need them to charge their phones. Demand for 100-watt solar panels with 70 Ah batteries has spiked. However, people who can afford to opt for diesel generators,” he said.
Solar light bulbs ranging from 40 to 200 watts are also in high demand, despite costing a minimum of 45,000 kyats (US$ 21.50).
Rooftop solar systems, which start at 4 million kyats, are also increasingly popular with businesses and wealthier individuals, according to suppliers.
“Prices are high, but people are buying what they can afford to light their places at night. Some people who can afford it buy rooftop solar systems for 5 million kyat, giving them electricity to cook and power a 1.5-horsepower water pump,” said a supplier in Chanayethazan.
Lengthening blackouts have wreaked havoc on daily life, small businesses and cottage industries across the country. Many businesses have suspended operations while others have been forced to buy solar panels to keep running.
“I have a generator, but fuel and maintenance costs are high when it runs for long hours. So, I spent around 6 million kyats to purchase solar kits, allowing me to run my business and also cook,” said a phone repair shop owner in Patheingyi Township. “The inverter is guaranteed for 13 years, the solar panels for five, and the battery for three years. Compared to the costs of running the generator, the solar system is far more cost-effective.”
Some 80 local and Chinese solar companies are selling their products at an exhibition in Yangon, with business buoyed by the worsening power outages.
The blackouts are also a boon to the adult children of junta boss Min Aung Hlaing. Aung Paye Sone and Khin Thiri Thet Mon, who operate companies across multiple sectors of Myanmar’s economy, reportedly import and supply solar kits and related equipment. Their father’s regime has granted tax exemption on solar imports, a business dominated by junta cronies.
Tin Aung San, chair of the new Electricity and Energy Development Commission, said a regulation requiring all new construction projects to install solar panels will be introduced soon.
Naypyitaw had been the only place in Myanmar free of power outages until recently. However, the administrative capital and nerve center of the regime is now suffering regular blackouts. Only the “Row of Six” – the exclusive neighborhood housing half a dozen ex-generals, including former dictator Than Shwe and ex-president Thein Sein – is lit round the clock.
