First ASEAN-CSSC opened in Thailand

BANGKOK, March 6 (TNA) - Thailand’s Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency, under the Ministry of Energy, in conjunction with Bangkok-based King Mongkhut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), has officially launched the first CES Solar Cells Testing Centre (CSSC) in Thailand, and also the first-ever in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), at the KMUTT’s Bang Khun Tien Campus in the capital on Wednesday. The CSSC’s inaugural ceremony was presided over by the department's Director-general, Amnuay Thongsatit, during which representatives of KMUTT and relevant agencies, as well as honourable guests and journalists also attended. According to the senior Thai official, his department and KMUTT have decided to join hands in setting up the first national and regional CSSC with its reliability and internationally-recognized standard, as international business firms have increasingly become more interested in investing in solar power. The CSSC has been set up since 2006, jointly funded by the Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency and the Energy Conservation Fund, as a government unit to help test solar cells quality. The centre has, since recently, acquired the Testing laboratory standard according to ISO/IEC 17025:2005, and the TLAS accredited testing laboratory No.TESTING 343, from the Thai Industrial Standard Institute. The CSSC is the first in ASEAN to receive such standards, which are well recognized worldwide, due to its readiness and complete standard testing of over 20 points, which include the testing of the solar cells’ capability to withstand different climate and weather. The CSSC is also certified under the category of battery and inverter testing. With the given standards, Thailand has agreed to officially launch the CSSC to publicize the Kingdom's readiness to become the leader in solar cells testing in the 10-member ASEAN bloc. (TNA)