Beat blackouts with homemade gensets

MANILA, Philippines - Concerned over the looming power shortage in the summer of 2015 but can’t afford a generator which usually sells for at least P50,000?

There’s no need to despair.

In an interview with The Star, Roland Lorilla, president of Filipino-owned Applied Systems Inc., a manufacturer of generator sets, said ordinary households can have their own “noiseless and smokeless generator” which they can use in case government and Congress fail to avert the looming power shortage next year.

Lorilla said ordinary households can assemble a generator with a 12-volt direct current battery charger, a 12-volt direct current (VDC) lead acid battery, like the ones used for cars and a 12-volt direct current (VDC) to 220-volt alternate current (VAC) inverter. These items are available in most hardwares or battery shops, he said.

“A battery-inverter type generator converts 12 VDC power from a typical 12 V car battery to 220 VAC usable for most appliances,” Lorila said.

He said that when there is normal AC power available, the charger charges the battery and during a power outage the battery supplies DC power to an inverter that converts DC to AC power to run small appliances.

“The three major components of the generator are a battery charger, a 12VDC lead acid battery and an inverter which are available from most electrical stores and from a battery shop,” Lorilla said.

While it is easy to assemble, he advised households to consult a knowledgeable electrician when assembling the generator.

“Care must be taken so as not to overcharge the battery and overload the unit,” he said.

Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla has warned of a looming power shortage in the summer of 2015.

President Aquino has asked Congress for special powers to invoke Section 71 of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001, the power reform law, to allow the government to tap additional capacity.

Congress has yet to grant the President’s request but lawmakers are optimistic the issue would be resolved as soon as Congress resumes session this week.

The Philippines would need 9,011 megawatts of power next year, higher than this year’s demand of 8,717 MW on the back of the projected growth in the economy, according to the Department of Energy.

The plan is to tap additional power capacity by renting bunker-fired modular generator sets.