PTLplans50SolarMartsinKerala

TNNJan11,2013,04.20AMIST KOCHI: Kerala should develop solar photovoltaic (PV) cellbased microgrids across the state to meetsoaringenergydemands,saidPrabisshThomas,founderandgroupMDofPTLSolarFzLLC basedinDubai. "A microgrid with a capacity of 5 kW could be set up in a small village. The solar panels could be fitted on to the roof top of a community building, with each house consuming 0.5 kW to 1 kWpowerfromit,"ThomassaidinKochionThursday. According to Thomas, the large scale projects which the governments usually prefer will have limitations. "Decentralised programmes could take India to selfreliance regarding power. Each villageshouldhaveitsownpowerhouse,"hesaid. Indiaisgrapplingwithacutepowershortagewhilethecountryreceives3,000hoursofsunshine annually,equivalentto5,000trillionkW,AluvabornThomashighlighted.PTL,foundedin2005, now plans to set up 50 PTL Solar Marts, outlets for affordable solar products, in the state this year."Wewillopenthreetofouroutletsineverydistrict,"Thomassaid.Withthedevelopment ofmicrogeneration,Keralashouldbeabletosource20%ofitsenergyfromrenewablesources, heclaimed. The company, which started its operations in India in August 2012, will initially distribute products from TOpto, an original equipment manufacturer under Toyota group. In the second stage,thecompanywillassembletheproductsinIndia. Solar Academy, a relatively new concept which trains skilled workers to cater to the solar PV industry,willalsobelaunchedinKeralasoon,hestated.Theacademy wouldbeajointventure between PTL, Solar Energy International (SEI) and the British University in Dubai. "With sponsorshipfromtheindustry,thecoursefeewouldbenegligible,"Thomassaid. PTL Solar, set up in 2005 by Aluvaborn Thomas, currently operates in Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Djibouti,Malawi,Tanzania,Kenya,Ghana,QatarandSriLanka.