Sri Lanka is considering purchasing solar panels through a credit line from India and China to offset rising electricity tariffs, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara said on Tuesday.
The Sri Lankan government raised electricity tariffs by 75 percent in August, the first increase in nine years, triggering protest among local Buddhist clergy who were struggling to pay their electricity bills.
The Central Provincial Sangha of the Ramanya Nikaya said it would switch off the lights in all temples in the province on Poya Day—a Buddhist holiday—to protest against the increase in electricity costs, Daily Mirror reported.
Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, Wijesekara proposed using renewable energy sources and installing solar panels for religious institutions, particularly those that pay higher electricity charges….