Rural Electrification Based-on Renewable Energy: Case Of Cambodia

One possibility for overcoming the energy deficits in the rural areas of Cambodia is the local use of renewable energy sources (RES). The use of locally available RES such as the sun can bring a multitude of benefits for Cambodia. These include: independence from grid connection and imported fossil fuels, generation of new jobs in the energy sector, availability of clean energy, improvement of the quality of life and consequently a reduction of rural migration. Therefore, when other technologies cannot economically address the issues, such as absence of wind and micro-hydro, too high expense for connection to grid, Solar PV system can help accelerate the penetration rate of electricity to remote areas.This study is exploring the opportunities and challenges to renewable energy in Cambodia. And also examines the activities and achievements of Sola PV installations with low cost in rural areas of Cambodia. The main objective of this study is to address the factors that impact to government's policy, and help guiding the MIME, and RGC in their effort on the Rural Development through accelerating the electricity penetration rate using the cheapest and most adaptive source of energy. The main approach used to collect data was investigating a wide range of secondary sources; and government policies, which could either encourage or hinder the utilization of the renewable energy for rural electrification in Cambodia.This paper also concludes with suggestions which are reduce/remove the barriers to implement of renewable energy in Cambodia that the RGC should decrease import taxes in order to motivate the investors to import the renewable energy equipments and energy efficiency equipments. For accessing to financing of renewable energy device, the RGC would seek aid and support from the international community of donors, in the forms of grants and long terms, with no or negligible interest rate-loans, which are necessary. Moreover, the RGC should introduce and implement the best practices in terms of financing, banking, and credit systems, including the mortgage. The RGC/MIME should ask experts to show the practical use of renewable energy technology by conducting TV, seminar, workshops, publish papers. And train and develop human resources in the operation, maintenance and management of the RE installations and systems.