Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2016-04-06

Science Technology & Research Educational Training Programme with facilities for Prototype Manufacturing of Solar Panels

- The policy of the Government is to envisage 20% of the entire power generation from the non-conservative renewable energy resources, by the year 2020. Accordingly, the proposal made by Hon. Susil Premajayantha, the Minister of Science Technology and Research, to enter into the Memoranda of Understanding to have expert advice and guidance of the University of Illinois of the United States of America and the Sivanandan Laboratories Company to get an advanced practical training, on manufacturing solar panels and installation and research and development of solar panels and the service maintenance of solar power generation systems, for a group of about 2,000 including undergraduates, students of the vocational training centres, former military veterans and GCE A/L qualified high school leavers and to install the relevant research and training facilities in the Universities of Peradeniya, Jaffna, Ruhuna and Kelaniya, for the purpose of supporting the rapidly growing solar energy related industries, was approved by the Cabinet as a matter of principle.