Sri Lanka It's Happening

February 26, 2007

I visited the Architects (Architects as in Civil Engineering not software) Association exhibition at the BMICH. Architects are conspicous by their absence. The place seems to be full of people selling Paint, Floor tiles, Roof Tiles and bathroom fittings. Few had any virtue to distinguish them from the others.

Most visitors went from stall to stall and gathering up any and all the brochures. Some had huge bundles in their hands. Their purpose is a mystery.

Amongst all the rabble and the rubble I came across one place of note. Ceylinco Renewables. I had previously called them up a few times but wasn't too impressed with them. Today at the stall the salesman I met gave the appearence that he could care less about what they sold. Fortunately for me and for them, some of intervened to provide a beacon of light. Solar powered light at that.

The person turned out to be a director of the company named Mr Pinto. He was very helpfull and knowledgable. I told him that I am looking for grid interactive solar power. He admitted that they do not sell grid interactive invertors but recommended another company that may be able to suppkly it. That's the way it should be. Most other people I met hadn't even heard of the concept and others tried to portray it in a bad light. Many said it would not be cost efficient but that's not my concern.

My new house will have solar electricity and solar hot water. Most vendors of solar hot waters vendors have an electric booster inside the water tank. I don't want one. I will not pay for an electric heater that I will not use. All save one said it would not be possible to provide a solar hot water system with out an electric heater. They spoke of some standard. What standard that is they themselves didn't know.

The one exception of Ceylinco Renewables. Or rather their director. The salesman gave me the same story about the heater but it was at this point that Mr. Pinto intervened....

Then I visited IE Technics. To speak to them about the invertors, they haven't heard about it. But I made a serendipitous discovery. In the next stall there was a company that claimed to be able to print on anything. What they were doing at the architects association exibition is a mystery but their presence means there were at least two usefull stalls in the exibition

Posted by raditha at February 26, 2007 8:42 AM