Government spending on alternative energy projects has decreased as a result of the current political vacuum, according to Wandee Khunchornyakong, the company's chief executive. To compensate for the drop in demand from public-sector projects, the company will need to not only capture individual clients, but also export more.

"We focused on supplying solar cells to public projects including the Solar Home project and a rural water pumping project. But, these projects have been downsized due to the absence of a government," Wandee said. "The political vacuum will lead to a drop in public spending [in this field] of Bt300 million to Bt500 million."

Solartron also will start working on a Bt1.1-billion silicon solar cell production project, expected to commence commercial operations in late 2007. The company said the factory would eventually reduce solar-cell prices by 15 to 20 per cent from Bt20,000 apiece.

Wandee said the company would increase exports with a focus on Asian markets.

Solartron has 60 distributors in the Kingdom now focussing on individual buyers. Installing solar equipment in a home costs between Bt500,000 to Bt600,000.

"The new strategies should allow the company to keep sales revenue above last year, at Bt1.3 billion. In the first and second quarters, we met our targets and the results in the latter half will depend on political and economic conditions," she said. "Our targets are people who own big homes."

But government projects are not completely out of the picture.

The company has its sights set on an upcoming bid for a Bt3-billion power-generating project from the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand. Solartron is waiting to receive terms of reference for the bid.

Solartron is also hoping to win a contract to install cells at the National Energy Complex, which would house two prototype energy-saving buildings on a Phaholyothin Road site.