First solar energy slowly losses power

CEBU, Philippines - The power capacity of the Pangan-an Island Solar Electrification Project in Lapu-Lapu City, the first solar power project in the country, continue to dwindle brought about by the damage on its solar panels and the rising number of inhabitants in the said island.

Engr. Magdalino Baclay Jr., Department of Energy’s senior science research specialist, said that the project has a capacity of 42 kilowatts when it was first established in 1998 but to date, with the damages sustained in the solar panels, it now generates only about 30 kilowatts.

Baclay said that of the 504 solar panels, around 20 percent were already damaged and the sad thing about it is that they could no longer be repaired.

The said solar electrification project is a bilateral project between the Kingdom of Belgium and the Philippines and was initially meant to demonstrate the viability and sustainability of a solar mini-grid system as alternative power source for off-grid communities. It was also aimed at fueling local development by motivating livelihood activities in the island.

The project, which is managed by Pangan-an Island Cooperative and Community Development, is making sure that the residents are not using power consuming appliances such as electric iron, electric heater, refrigerator and the likes to prevent power shortage.

PICCD chairman Satur Tatoy said that of the more than 400 households in the island, only 236 households are connected to power.

“Kay daghan man diri nga dili gyud maka-afford og bayad sa kuryente,” said Tatoy, who himself is paying an average of P400 a month.

Power cost is pegged at P15 per kilowatt hour with a flat rate of P50 per month and Tatoy said most of the households in the island are only paying an average of P150 per month for the electricity they consume.

Since the power cost per kilowatt-hour is expensive, power consumers are instructed to minimize the use of power for a lower cost.

The visit to the solar electrification project is part of the Cebu Energy Development Corporation’s three-day educational tour on renewable energy sources for a group of Cebu media which started yesterday.

Meanwhile, the TUCP Partylist, the largest worker’s party in the Philippines, urged Global Energy and all other power investors operating and entering Cebu to ensure that their operations will not disturb the ecological balance in the province.

TUCP is likewise contemplating to call for a congressional inquiry to be conducted by the House Committee on Energy and the Joint Congressional Power Commission on all the critical issues related to electricity and power privatization and possible amendments to Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001.     (FREEMAN NEWS)