U-Tron (Beijing) provides solar power lighting for villages
U-Tron (Beijing) Electronics Co Ltd is expanding its operations in Sri Lanka to assist the government’s power-for-all programme by providing solar power for houses in rural areas that cannot be reached through the national grid, company officials said.
The company plans to introduce advanced solar powered LED (light emitting diode) lighting products to meet the basic lighting needs of rural homes and other locations.
Around 150,000 rural homes still depend on kerosene for lighting and most are beneficiaries of the government’s ‘Divi Neguma ‘ welfare programme, Power and Energy Ministry data revealed.
U-Tron’s Sri Lankan partner Basil Leanage Enterprises (an engineering firm) has expanded its operations in almost all provinces and in the Maldives, internationally.
It has already installed U-Tron solar home systems and street lights systems in houses, home gardens, hotels, shops and elders homes in Kalutara district, Moratuwa, Ratmalana, Dehiwala and Maharagama areas.
A programme to install solar power systems in places of worship including Buddhist temples and churches in rural areas is now being implemented in addition to extending consultancy and engineering services for non-governmental organisations, Basil Leanage, the head of the local partner, disclosed.
He added that a group of Sri Lankans living in the United States has expressed willingness to extend funding for this U-Tron rural solar power supply scheme aimed at providing lighting needs of places of worship and homes.
Raja Magasweran, Managing Director of the US-funded U-Tron (Beijing) Electronics Co. Ltd is a Sri Lankan domiciled in China after going there for highest studies in 1974 as a scholarship recipient in the first batch of students selected under the China-Sri Lanka student exchange.Mr. Magasweran is probably the oldest foreigner in China, living there for over 38 years. He told the Business Times that his company will supply U-Tron LED products including solar panels, solar powered lights, Lucas LED street lights, BatLED indoor and outdoor floodlights, traffic signal lights, Helios LED light bulbs and Lucas retrofit bulbs, etc with maintenance services through its Sri Lankan partner.
U-Tron was established in 1992 in Beijing. The company was fully funded by investments from US-based China Business Associates. The main purpose was to bring US developed technology products to China for manufacturing and localisation.