Solar photovoltaic panels in rural Cambodia

Just two solar power plants are up and running in Cambodia at present, one a 10-MW plant developed by Singapore's Sunseap and another, 60-MW facility in Kampong Speu. Cambodia consumed a total of 2,650 megawatts of electricity in 2018, an increase of about 15% compared to 2017, according to the Ministry of Mines and Energy.

Rattanak said during a forum on energy in Phnom Penh in July organized by the American Chamber of Commerce. The Cambodian government has said it will increase its investments in solar energy by 12% by year-end 2020 and by 20% over the next three years, up from less than 1% at present.

Searching for alternative options, Cambodia joins a growing list of national governments who have come around to seeing solar and other distributed, emissions-free renewable energy resources as a cost-effective means of achieving national electrification, as well as national and international climate change and renewable energy, goals.

(Supplied) Veurn Vouth, program manager of Live and Learn Cambodia, said their project with the community harnesses solar energy to pump clean water from rivers and wells. It benefits eight communities comprising more than 80 families in remote, indigenous areas in Ratanakkiri and Stung Treng provinces.

So far, large-scale solar farm development has moved slowly in light of the country's immense amount of untapped shine. But that picture may be starting to change. In 2018, Cambodia introduced a solar generation regulation, a new driver for the country's solar PV system development.

In 2018, Cambodia introduced a solar generation regulation, a new driver for the country's solar PV system development. Cambodia's grid-scale solar development started with just a 10 MW pilot in 2017.