Kampala — FAKE solar panels imported from China are flooding the local market, a top official disclosed on Monday.

Richard Kanyike, the Solar Energy managing director, explained that local traders use popular brands to sell the cheap panels.

He added that labels for the 50-watt panels were changed to 100 watts and sold to unsuspecting customers.

"They tell customers that the 100-watt panel can work for six hours but when the customer reaches the village, the panels can't stand the time," Kanyike told a renewable energy and bio-fuels workshop at Hotel Africana, Kampala.

The workshop was part of the investment outreach programme that helps discuss investor-needs and policies to identify bottlenecks hindering investment in the sector.

Organised by the Uganda Investment Authority, the workshop also validated the sector issues and laid out new strategies.

"Solar energy is a little bit different from the normal hydro-energy.

"It needs specialised people to sell and install the panels," Kanyike said.

He urged the Uganda National Bureau of Standards to crackdown on fake solar panels.