The Solar Lantern which doubles up as a light and power source will be available in Myanmar from January 2014
Panasonic donates 2,000 Solar Lanterns to 5 social institutions as part of the 40th year ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation & its global 100 Thousand Solar Lanterns Project
Yangon, Myanmar – Aiming to provide off-grid energy solutions to areas with limited electricity in Myanmar, the new Panasonic Solar Lantern launched today, can create; store and utilise solar energy effectively. The 3.5 Watt solar panel and built-in rechargeable battery enables the lantern to create and store renewable energy during the day. It doubles up as a light and power source at night, with the added capability to charge small mobile devices such as mobile phones via a USB port.
The Solar Lantern will be available at supermarkets and grocery shops across Myanmar from January 2014, retailing at around 50,000 Kyats. Panasonic will also be partnering with various social institutions to deliver the lanterns to villages where they are needed most due to intermittent electricity supply.
Hisakazu Maeda, Chief Representative, Panasonic Asia Pacific Myanmar Branch, commented, “Compared to other South East Asian countries, electrification rate in Myanmar is very low. Many still rely on kerosene lamps for light be it for education or healthcare purposes. Kerosene lamps pose as fire hazards and contribute to health problems, emitting toxic fumes. The Solar Lantern was designed and developed to address these societal gaps in developing countries like Myanmar. Today’s product launch symbolises Panasonic’s new brand promise to provide A Better Life, A Better World for people all around the world.”
Under fine weather conditions, the Solar Lantern is fully rechargeable in approximately six hours. Through the use of sunlight, it contributes to the reduction of carbon dioxide emission. The lantern’s adjustable brightness setting allows it to run between six to 90 hours[1] when fully charged. Its 360-degree illumination and flexible design makes it practical and convenient for everyday use. The multi-functional product has a USB port which allows for charging of mobile phones, an increasingly popular communication device in areas with limited electrical infrastructure.
In February this year, Panasonic donated 3,000 Compact Solar Lights[2] to be used in areas such as healthcare, education and business. Both donations are part of the global project whose goal is to donate a total of 100,000 Solar Lanterns through local social institutions including non-profit and non-governmental organisations to non-electrified areas in Asian and African regions by 2018 and ensure proper lighting in homes and buildings.
Dr. Tha Hla Shwe, the President of Myanmar Red Cross Society, said, “Earlier this February, we received Compact Solar Lights from Panasonic as in-kind contributions. These were distributed mainly in the camps of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) for safety and security, education support, psychosocial support, medical and first aid care and camp management meeting. We are hopeful through such concerted efforts, we can improve the quality of life at disaster stricken rural areas as well as communal violence areas. The Solar Lanterns donated today will also contribute towards making a positive difference in the lives of even more people in Myanmar.”
Panasonic aims to contribute actively to the well-being of the people of Myanmar through both its business and corporate citizenship activities.
About Panasonic
Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development and engineering of electronic technologies and solutions for customers in residential, non-residential, mobility and personal applications. Since its founding in 1918, the company has expanded globally and now operates over 500 consolidated companies worldwide, recording consolidated net sales of 7.30 trillion yen for the year ended March 31, 2013. Committed to pursuing new value through innovation across divisional lines, the company strives to create a better life and a better world for its customers. For more information about Panasonic, please visit the company’s website at http://panasonic.net/.
About Panasonic Asia Pacific
Panasonic Asia Pacific provides the whole range of the brand’s products and solutions across the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA) region. The company focuses on promoting its Business-to-Business portfolio, such as in the field of energy solutions, whilst maintaining solid Business-to-Consumer growth, in line with the group’s global direction.
The region has 57 manufacturing sites, which hold as a key hub for Panasonic’s global production activities supporting the consumer, solutions and components and devices business. Based in Singapore, Panasonic Asia Pacific headquarters encourages locally-initiated energy solutions partnerships and businesses. In this fiscal year, the headquarters will also strengthen the company’s foothold in emerging markets. Panasonic Asia Pacific will continue to promote green innovation and reduce its regional carbon dioxide emissions footprint in support of Panasonic’s global eco initiatives.
Issued by Panasonic Asia Pacific Myanmar Branch.
For media queries, please contact:
Hisakazu Maeda
Chief Representative
Panasonic Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. (Myanmar Branch)
Tel: +95 1 507 166 430
hisakazu.maeda@mm.panasonic.com
For more information on Panasonic’s global 100 THOUSAND SOLAR LANTERNS PROJECT, please visit: http://panasonic.net/sustainability/en/lantern/
[1] A fully charged Solar Lantern can run for approximately 6 hours on HIGH setting, about 15 hours on MEDIUM setting and roughly 90 hours on LOW setting.
[2] In 2012, the first year of the global 100 Thousand Solar Lantern Project, Panasonic donated Compact Solar Lights, instead of Solar Lanterns. The Compact Solar Light has an LED light and a solar panel integrated in one unit and is rechargeable via a USB port. (Sold only in Japan)
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