For the past three years, Myanmar has been plunged frequently into darkness as the ruling junta’s corruption wreaks havoc on the country’s infrastructure.  In this crisis, shifting to solar energy is less about environmental consciousness and more about a desperate need for survival.

Text and pictures by Josephine Kyi and Nicha Wachpanich

Edit by Shwe Nakamwe 

KARENNI STATE // In 2021, Ma Pyae Pyae* was in her final year of studying electrical engineering at a technological university in central Myanmar.  She was determined to secure a job in Myanmar’s expanding energy sector—a field not commonly pursued by young women. According to the experiences shared by her seniors, male graduates have had better job prospects as they are often freer to work in remote areas, often required for establishing transmission and distribution networks.

However, with her family’s support, the young Bamar woman was determined to break through the glass ceiling.

“I was enthusiastic.  I predicted higher electricity generation and nationwide coverage,” Ma Pyae Pyae recalled.  “But when the coup happened, all my hopes were shattered.”

The Setbacks

Myanmar has one of the lowest rates of electricity access in Southeast Asia, especially in rural and remote regions.  Prior to the coup, the country made significant progress, boosting household electricity access from 39% in 2017 to 58% in 2020, at an average growth rate of 6% per year during the so-called democratic transition. 

However, the military coup led by General Min Aung Hlaing halted these developments. The energy sector was severely impacted, leading to widespread blackouts across the country.

Angered by the military takeover, Ma Pyae Pyae, like many young people, rejected the junta-controlled education system.  She fled to Karenni state, an eastern region near the Thai border, controlled by anti-junta ethnic armed groups.

Three years later the staunch 24-year-old has retrained as a journalist, committed to keeping her people informed.  She relies on solar panels, which locals have installed manually, to charge her phone and stay connected to the outside world.

“In Karenni state and many remote areas, we rely primarily on solar energy with supplementary diesel generators during rainy season,” explained the former electrical engineering student.  “But the capacity is not sufficient for lighting at night.  For cooking, we use firewood.”

The largest city, Yangon, which once had 24-hour electricity, is now subject to a minimum of eight-hours per day of blackout.  According to data from the World Bank, Myanmar’s pre-coup daily power generation capacity of 7,179 megawatts (MW) plummeted to just 2,964 MW by the end of 2022.

As many turn to diesel generators to power their houses and small businesses, reliance on imported fuel has become a growing concern.  The sharp decline in the MMK exchange rate has driven up the cost of imports. 

“A litre of petrol sold outside the fuel station is not only expensive, but it’s also often less than a litre,” said a tricycle driver in Yangon, struggling with the gasoline shortage.

The rising fuel prices have severely impacted transportation.  “We’re waiting in long lines at fuel stations that don’t have any stock,” said a taxi driver in Yangon’s Kyee Myint Daing township.  It’s now common to see drivers spending the night in their vehicles, queuing for fuel.

A Forced Energy Transition

The downfall of Myanmar’s energy sector is largely due to its centralised nature. After the coup, citizens began boycotting electricity bills.  The Ministry of Electric Power reported 229 attacks on power plants and lines by resistance groups between February 2021 and April 2023.

International sanctions have negatively impacted upon Myanmar’s energy sector, which is heavily reliant on foreign investments, particularly in hydropower and natural gas projects (at 56% of and 41% of total production, respectively). Due to the junta’s ongoing atrocities, foreign investors have pulled out of the country. In August 2024, the Singapore power plant Sembcorp suspended operations in Myingyan township, Mandalay, citing increasing conflicts in the area. Yet, despite the coup and the shortage of electricity for local use, Myanmar continues to export its natural gas to neighbouring countries such as China and Thailand. 

While world leaders discuss transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy, conflict-riddled Myanmar has forced locals to shift toward off-grid power sources.  In border areas like Karenni state, where Ma Pyae Pyae lives, solar panels have become a popular choice, with equipment mostly imported from Thailand via land-crossing.  But this option has its challenges.

“In the global market, the price of solar panels is decreasing, but in our country, the cost of solar panels and related equipment continues to rise,” said Min Min*, a Burmese renewable energy expert.  This is mostly due to the ongoing civil wars, economic decline, and the scarcity of quality products in the local market.

In rural areas where the main grid is unreliable, solar systems are primarily used for lighting and charging.  An elbow-sized solar panel and a hand-sized battery are common in these regions.  For larger-scale use, more substantial solar panels, bigger batteries, controllers, longer wires, and inverters are needed.

Prices vary.  In urban markets, a basic solar setup for lighting and charging, including a 9V 3.5W solar panel, three bulbs, charging ports, and an AC/DC adapter, costs about 55,000 MMK.  A more advanced 7AH solar system, supporting lighting, charging, and WiFi, can cost around 200,000 MMK. Larger systems, capable of powering lighting, charging, WiFi, TV, and cooking, can run up to 4,000,000 MMK.

In rural areas, prices are higher, and shops often sell equipment separately without services or guarantees.  In severe conflict-affected zones like Sagaing, regime soldiers ban and confiscate solar panels at checkpoints.  Here, second-hand solar panels are more expensive than new ones, and locals mainly rely on generators.

The rainy season, once celebrated for replenishing dam reservoirs, has become an obstacle for solar energy generation.  Additionally, in central regions torn by conflict, access to equipment is limited, and constant displacement prevents people from setting up and using solar panels effectively.

“Setting up solar systems requires batteries, which are risky to transport through military checkpoints because they resemble some war-related equipment,” Min Min added.

Grassroots Solar Engineers

While renewable energy isn’t often a priority in conflict zones, some countries facing similar intersecting crises have found opportunities to innovate.  In the Middle East, over 500 refugee women from Syria and neighbouring African countries have been trained in basic electrical engineering in refugee camps and training centers in Turkey’s Izmir region by the non-profit IMECE Initiative since 2018.

In just a fortnight of training, groups of women assemble portable solar banks capable of charging mobile phones up to three times.  Thousands of these have been distributed to refugees in camps along borders, allowing them access to light, navigation tools, and to stay connected with family.

Since 2011, Turkey and its neighbours have faced a growing refugee crisis after an anti-authoritarian movement erupted in Syria, worsened by recent earthquakes.  According to the UNHCR, Turkey currently hosts around 3.2 million registered Syrian refugees, along with nearly 222,000 persons of concern from other nationalities.

“Many people, even the women who joined our training, think that the energy issue is not a priority when they still need to care about how to get their next meal,” said Bilege Martan, the Solar Age project manager.  “But energy is very important in humanitarian crises.”  

In addition to addressing the immediate crisis, the solar-engineer training creates income opportunities and equips refugee women with vocational skills that could be useful when they resettle in third countries. “Women and children are severely impacted in the crisis, so the project also aims to give women financial autonomy,” Martan added.

In Karenni state, Ma Pyae Pyae uses her knowledge of electrical systems to advise her community on choosing the right batteries for their solar panels. She maintains that there is much to learn in practice beyond the lectures she has taken.

Similarly, energy advocate Min Min believes practical skills are crucial in reaching independent energy generation.  Many communities have learned to install solar panels but lack the knowledge to do so safely.  For example, if the panel and roof have no space for air between them, it can increase heat and lead to electrical hazards.

“Solar and other small renewable energy sources could decentralize Myanmar’s electricity system,” said Min Min.  “If each state could manage its energy system, there would be more options for energy access when the main grid is down, and households could even generate income from it.”

*Names have been changed for safety reasons.

This story was produced as a part of Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development’s Media and Visual Fellowship on Militarism, Peace and Women’s Human Rights. Our bilingual female writers team produced two previous stories on Myanmar’s women as part of this fellowship.