Demand for Solar Spikes as Darkness Shrouds Junta-Ruled Myanmar

黑暗笼罩军政府统治的缅甸，太阳能需求飙升(机译）

作者：伊洛瓦底江        来源：伊洛瓦底江

Panels are loaded onto a truck at a solar shop in Pyigyitagun Township, Mandalay.

在曼德勒Pyigyitagun镇的一家太阳能商店，电池板被装载到卡车上。

Demand for solar panels has soared in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, after the power supply was further reduced to just two four-hour slots per day across the country, including the commercial capital Yangon.

缅甸第二大城市曼德勒（Mandalay）对太阳能电池板的需求飙升，此前全国各地（包括商业首都仰光）的电力供应进一步减少到每天只有两个4小时的时段。

Small solar kits for charging phones and lighting are in especially high demand, according to an electronics store owner in Chanmyathazi Township.

Chanmyathazi镇一家电子商店的老板说，为手机和照明充电的小型太阳能组件需求特别大。

“Most people need them to charge their phones. Demand for 100-watt solar panels with 70 Ah batteries has spiked. However, people who can afford to opt for diesel generators,” he said.

“大多数人都需要电池给手机充电。对配备70安培电池的100瓦太阳能电池板的需求激增。然而，有能力的人会选择柴油发电机。”

Solar light bulbs ranging from 40 to 200 watts are also in high demand, despite costing a minimum of 45,000 kyats (US$ 21.50).

40瓦至200瓦的太阳能灯泡需求也很大，尽管价格最低为4.5万缅元（21.50美元）。

Rooftop solar systems, which start at 4 million kyats, are also increasingly popular with businesses and wealthier individuals, according to suppliers.

供应商表示，屋顶太阳能系统的起价为400万缅元，在企业和较富裕的个人中也越来越受欢迎。

“Prices are high, but people are buying what they can afford to light their places at night. Some people who can afford it buy rooftop solar systems for 5 million kyat, giving them electricity to cook and power a 1.5-horsepower water pump,” said a supplier in Chanayethazan.

“价格很高，但人们正在购买他们负担得起的东西，以便在晚上照亮他们的地方。一些有能力的人花500万缅元购买屋顶太阳能系统，为他们提供做饭和1.5马力水泵的电力，”Chanayethazan的一位供应商说。

Customers browse solar equipment at a shop in Mandalay. / Solar Myanmar

顾客在曼德勒的一家商店里浏览太阳能设备。/缅甸太阳能

Lengthening blackouts have wreaked havoc on daily life, small businesses and cottage industries across the country. Many businesses have suspended operations while others have been forced to buy solar panels to keep running.

长时间的停电给全国各地的日常生活、小企业和家庭手工业造成了严重破坏。许多企业已经暂停运营，而其他企业则被迫购买太阳能电池板以维持运营。

“I have a generator, but fuel and maintenance costs are high when it runs for long hours. So, I spent around 6 million kyats to purchase solar kits, allowing me to run my business and also cook,” said a phone repair shop owner in Patheingyi Township. “The inverter is guaranteed for 13 years, the solar panels for five, and the battery for three years. Compared to the costs of running the generator, the solar system is far more cost-effective.”

“我有一台发电机，但当它长时间运行时，燃料和维护成本很高。所以，我花了大约600万缅元购买太阳能设备，让我可以经营自己的生意，也可以做饭。”“逆变器的保修期为13年，太阳能电池板为5年，电池为3年。与运行发电机的成本相比，太阳能系统要划算得多。”

Some 80 local and Chinese solar companies are selling their products at an exhibition in Yangon, with business buoyed by the worsening power outages.

约80家当地和中国太阳能公司正在仰光的一个展览会上销售他们的产品，日益严重的停电状况提振了业务。

The blackouts are also a boon to the adult children of junta boss Min Aung Hlaing. Aung Paye Sone and Khin Thiri Thet Mon, who operate companies across multiple sectors of Myanmar’s economy, reportedly import and supply solar kits and related equipment. Their father’s regime has granted tax exemption on solar imports, a business dominated by junta cronies.

停电对军政府领导人敏昂莱（Min Aung Hlaing）的成年子女来说也是一件好事。Aung Paye Sone和Khin Thiri Thet Mon经营着缅甸多个经济部门的公司，据报道，他们进口和供应太阳能套件和相关设备。他们父亲的政权对太阳能进口免税，这是一个由军政府亲信主导的行业。

Water gushes from a solar-powered pump. / Aaron Solar Electric

水从太阳能水泵中喷涌而出。/ Aaron Solar Electric

Tin Aung San, chair of the new Electricity and Energy Development Commission, said a regulation requiring all new construction projects to install solar panels will be introduced soon.

新成立的缅甸电力和能源发展委员会（Electricity and Energy Development Commission）主席丁昂山（Tin Aung San）表示，一项要求所有新建筑项目安装太阳能电池板的规定将很快出台。

Naypyitaw had been the only place in Myanmar free of power outages until recently. However, the administrative capital and nerve center of the regime is now suffering regular blackouts. Only the “Row of Six” – the exclusive neighborhood housing half a dozen ex-generals, including former dictator Than Shwe and ex-president Thein Sein – is lit round the clock.

直到最近，内比都一直是缅甸唯一没有停电的地方。然而，行政首都和政权的神经中枢现在经常停电。只有“六人排”（Row of Six）全天灯火通明，这是一个高级住宅区，住着六名前将军，包括前独裁者丹瑞和前总统吴登盛。

作者：伊洛瓦底江        来源：伊洛瓦底江