The Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA) in collaboration with the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has embarked on a renewable power supply program covering a number of most difficult villages located in less populated areas inaccessible for the national electricity grid due to its remote location and difficult terrain in Knuckles range in the Kandy district.
Spokesmen of the SLSEA briefing the program activities said that the authority recently completed a pilot project on renewable energy-based hybrid systems. “The Particular Galamuduna hybrid renewable energy project comprising a 25 KW solar PV system with battery storage with a cost of Rs 33 million investment transcends being a mere power generation initiative standing as a dedicated commitment towards sustainability sharing and caring each with 33 families. The special feature of this is smart metres embedded with the system facilitating the payment of prepaid negotiated amounts of electricity each month. This particular feature has a special significance where the consumers have self-sustenance of the energy resource available through self – control which supports them to optimally share the amount of energy in a given month in the most productive exemplary manner” the SLSEA spokesman said.
It is learnt that with a robust 75 KWh battery bank the pilot project successfully guarantees a reliable and an uninterrupted energy supply to the residents of the remote Galamuduna village. The battery bank serves as a storage solution ensuring that the village community has access to electricity even during gloomy periods of no continuous sunlight, thereby addressing one of the primary challenges of solar power.
On the success of the Galamuduna pilot project, the SLSEA management has planned to introduce off grid renewable energy hybrid system to two more arduous villages located in the Knuckles Range named Madakelle and Udagal Debokka within this year, thus adding further novelty to this nationally important supply technology. Reliable access to electricity means better lighting for names of schools and public spaces contributing to a safer and healthier living environment for all the residents.
Students in the Galamuduna remote village can now study with ease fostering a culture of learning and potentially opening up new educational opportunities and women community in Galamuduna can actively participate in income generating self–employment activities, SLSEA Chairman Engineer Ranjith Sepala said.
