Cambodia photovoltaic glass perspective

According to the regulations introduced by the Electricity Authority of Cambodia (EAC) in 2018, rooftop PV system owners cannot access cheaper off-peak energy at nighttime nor may they export excess solar electricity to the grid. Furthermore, solar is capped at 50% of the contracted load, and systems built prior to the regulations cannot operate.

In 2018, Cambodia introduced a solar generation regulation, a new driver for the country's solar PV system development. Cambodia's grid-scale solar development started with just a 10 MW pilot in 2017.

It is advocating for the cancelation of the charges for both the manufacturing and industrial sectors. According to the regulations introduced by the Electricity Authority of Cambodia (EAC) in 2018, rooftop PV system owners cannot access cheaper off-peak energy at nighttime nor may they export excess solar electricity to the grid.

Imports from Laos and Thailand will grow, totaling 62.45% and 10.47% of imported energy, respectively, with imports from Vietnam decreasing to 27.08%. According to a recent report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), there is an estimated $903 million investment opportunity in solar PV in Cambodia.

So far, large-scale solar farm development has moved slowly in light of the country's immense amount of untapped shine. But that picture may be starting to change. In 2018, Cambodia introduced a solar generation regulation, a new driver for the country's solar PV system development.

Installation of rooftop PV is heavily penalized in Cambodia with solar arrays currently charged a monthly capacity fee – around US$0.07/kWh for larger systems and $0.84/kWh for smaller systems, according to the report “Position paper on renewable energy in Cambodia” by the European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (EuroChamb).