Solar Powered Vesak Pandol makes Sri Lankan history

Commemorating Vesak festivities and making history this year, Solar Therm powered Sri Lanka’s first solar Vesak pandol. At the country’s most revered and most celebrated religious festival, this novel solar-powered pandol delivered a unique message by drawing the attention of sightseers to alternative energy generation. Solar Therm/Alpha Solar, executed this initiative in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Affairs. This pandol which was located at the Ministry of Youth Affairs was viewed by thousands of Sri Lankans who visited the site of this twelve foot pandol depicting a captivating story for the youth, with over 34,000 LED lights all powered by solar energy.

Speaking on the initiative Sajith Weerawarnakula, Engineer of Solar Therm stated: ‘‘We are proud to have created Sri Lanka’s first solar powered Vesak pandol. This concept was aptly introduced at the country’s most revered and celebrated religious festival. This initiative is just the beginning as we believe that solar energy will reform the use of electricity in Sri Lanka. This unique demonstration of solar power during the Vesak festival educated people on how such activities could be carried out with the least environmental impact. ’’ Solar power energy, a carbon-free, renewable alternative to the power generated with fossil fuels like coal and gas has been a technology that is today poised for a comeback.

This source of power is a revolution in electricity that is a cost effective alternative energy generator. A diverse range of solar-powered products could provide Sri Lanka with hundreds of gigawatts of electricity, reducing the cost of electricity and making it more accessible throughout the island. Solar power is a viable solution that will put an end to the recent concerns regarding electricity costs, the pollution concerns of coal generated electricity and the limitations of the Hydro Electric Grid spanning across the island.

This initiative is a first for Sri Lanka that will open up and highlight the range of possibilities of solar power. It is the beginning of an era of utilising sustainable and environmentally-friendly methods of renewable energy sources.