Laos lays foundation for 50 MW solar power plant

The Ministry of Science and Technology in Laos in Southeast Asia announced last week that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the AL-PNTC consortium to conduct a feasibility study and the potential benefits of building a 50 MW solar plant.

If the project is given the green light, it will be the largest photovoltaic project in the country’s history.

Malaithong Kommasit, Director General of the Lao Ministry of Science and the Department of Technology Planning Cooperation, noted that the country’s high level of solar insolation and underutilized plain areas in the south of the country create ideal conditions for the development of solar energy.

Laos recently unveiled its first-ever renewable energy strategy, which has undergone various pilot tests across the country.

According to the Lao government, the southern regions of the country are the main areas for the deployment of solar photovoltaic systems.

As part of the strategy, it is reported that 2,000 hours of sunshine in Laos each year, which, if taken into account an overall efficiency of 10%, can generate 146 kWh of solar energy per square meter per year.

Until now, Laos has been unable to take advantage of its natural renewable energy resources, relying instead on the intermittent and unreliable energy of individually mounted photovoltaic plants, with a capacity of just a few kilowatts. Local renewable energy company Sunlabob Renewable Energy has so far focused mainly on project work in other, often neighboring countries that have a more developed PV market.

Source: aenergy.ru