By Buth Reaksmey Kongkea
Kong Pharith, President of Local Capacity Builder (LOCAB), which is a non profit organization founded in 1997, proposed to produce solar vehicles next year. He said it is good for Cambodia to use solar vehicles while the oil price is very high and more over it could prevent the climate change and provide the sustainable development in Cambodia.
Kong Pharith, 48, who is also the founder of LOCAB and engine and electricity expert, told the Cambodia Weekly that, “Until today, I know that no one is able to produce this kind of solar vehicle in the world yet. But for me, I hope and I am confident that I can do it for the use in Cambodia in future.”
“Now, I have already designed the solar vehicle that I would produce for the use in this country,” he said. “It is made from the second hand of the imported vehicles and is consisted of four energies: the solar use, earth pulling, engine charging controller, and small engine reserved. It can run as fast as the engine cars which imported from oversea.”
Trac Thai Sieng, Deputy Governor of Phnom Penh Municipality, said that the use of solar bikes and cars would reduce the peoples’ expenditures in the families and pollution reduction in Phnom Penh.
He said, “I am really appreciated with LOCAB’s solar bikes and its activities. I think that this initiated project is very useful for our Cambodian people. It can help them to reduce their over expenditures in their family as well as for environmental sake and sustainable development in Phnom Penh.”
Keo Rottanak, Cabinet Chief at the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, said that he supported the solar bikes and vehicles productions made by the LOCAB.
He said, “It is good that our Cambodian people are able to produce these kinds of good things for using in Cambodia. It is appropriate choice in response to the needs of Cambodian people while the oils price is very high in Cambodia.”
But Pharith said he does need financial supports to research as well as produce those solar vehicles.
He said, “Now, I am looking for the financial assistance from donors to begin the works. I think that if I get fund about US $20,000, I can start the project of the solar vehicle improvement research and by the end of year 2009, I can produce two qualified cars which used the solar system and earth pulling.”
“I hope that if I received the financial assistance from the donor as above raised, for the first year project I can produce two solar cars per year and for the next following years I can produce more cars every year.”
He pointed out that when the solar system car was produced, its price would be US $10,000 per car and its quality was guaranteed up to 25 years.
He said in order to promote the use of solar home system and to provide the sustainable development in Cambodia, in 2005 his organization took initiative to research and develop the solar bicycle. It was very successful. The bike can run 18 kilometer per hour and can run up to half an hour.
He added that in 2006, UNDP provided fund US $3,798 for doing more research to improve the quality of the solar bike. Two new models with difference technology were made and displayed at LOCAB office and Cambodia UNDP office.
He said, “Nowadays, I also can produce the quality of solar bikes. I think that if there are more demands from buyers, I will produce more for them for sale in the future.”
He added that a solar bike was from 400 to US $600 in accordance to the bicycle categories and was qualified up to 20 years of use.
He said that since the operations of solar project in 2005, a total of 45 students who were from the poor have been trained on new innovation of solar bikes production, solar home system installing, and solar home system skill training by LOCAB. The trainings are free of charge.
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