Recently, the countryside of Hasakah, northeast Syria, has seen an increasing demand on installing solar panels amid continuous power outage.
Haytham al-Sa’eed, owner of a shop selling solar panels in Shaddadi, south of Hasakah, said that the demand for solar power has become an option for the residents to supply electricity.
He told North Press that the cost of the installation depends on the customer’s request regarding the number of panels he wants, as installing the solar panels with their equipment for the house now costs about a thousand dollars.
The equipment consists of panels, batteries and a device that converts energy from the battery into electricity for the house.
The prices of solar panels vary according to capacity. For example, the panel that gives less than one ampere with a capacity of 285 watts, is sold for $75, according to the owner of the solar panel shop.
The panel, which gives an ampere and a quarter of an ampere with a capacity of 400 watts, is sold for $105.
Al-Sa’eed brings solar panels and their equipment from the city of Manbij and Sarmada, as he said.
Due to the increasing rationing of electricity and despite the high costs, Bassam al-Turki, 30, a resident of Shaddadi, resorted to installing solar panels in his house to generate electricity.
Al-Turki told North Press that he did not find any other options to supply electricity in his house even for hours, “in light of the high temperature, which reached more than 45 degrees.”
He pointed out that the cost of installing solar panels in his house amounted to more than three million Syrian pounds.
Electricity is supplied for Shaddadi and its countryside for three or four hours every two days, according to residents.
The majority of the population relies on amperes and solar power installation to make up for the long hours of electricity rationing.
Today on its official Facebook page, the Energy and Communication Office in the Jazira region said, “After a few days of improving the water supply, the Turkish occupation state returned to its hostile practices towards the peoples of northeastern Syria and reduced the water supply.”
“Turkey has reduced the amount of water to less than 50% of the quota allocated to the dams according to international agreements, which causes the turbines to be stopped and thus, disconnect electricity from subscribers or reduce the number of hours,” the Energy and Communication Office added.
Since mid-February, Turkey has blocked the water of the Euphrates River to Syria.
According to the agreement signed between Syria and Turkey related to the Euphrates River, “Syria’s share of the water coming from Turkey is 500 m³ per second, but now, only less than 200 m³ per second arrives,” according to officials at Tishrin Dam.
