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The village of Sukatani was the first village in Indonesia where PV Solar Home Systems were installed, in 1988.  Just as thousands of other villages throughout the archipelago it was not going to be connected to the grid of the PLN, the State Electricity Company, any time soon.

The SHS installation programme in Sukatani was a test aimed to find out if  SHS actually worked in a hot, humid environment with a lot of cloud cover and annual rainfall.  They did. It was also meant as a first step towards the Sudimara credit line system which has so far facilitated the sale of around 15,000 SHS in the last 4 years.

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SHS have a considerable impact on village life: shops and workshops have longer business hours, radios and TV's can be hooked up, children can make homework at night etc. etc.

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Originally the PV modules were attached to a pole that was stuck through the roof. To reduce vulnerability and installation time today's Sudimara modules are mounted on roofracks rather than poles.

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SHS owners often decide to upgrade their system by installing a second PV module. It enables them to run more lights, have a colour TV or even a small fridge.

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Word of mouth has been the best PR for Solar Home Systems. They are an excellent alternative to candles, smelly oil lamps, noisy generators and unreliable grid electricity.

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The price of a SHS has always included transportation but these days Sudimara has a number of small trucks to do the work.

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