Solar energy to light up 2,650 households in remote areas

CEBU CITY — The Department of Energy (DoE) expects to energize about 2,650 more households in remote areas in the country using solar energy.

The DoE will pursue the project after the success of its “Sustainability Improvement of Renewable Energy Development in Village Electrification” program.

Officials from DoE Visayas, Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) and eight African countries visited the Solar Home System (SHS) project in Alumar Island, Getafe, Bohol with 50 household beneficiaries.

The Alumar Island solar project only cost P500,000, which was contributed jointly by DoE, Jica, Getafe municipal government and University of San Carlos (USC) in Cebu City.

About 40 families from a far-flung barangay in Toledo City that have never used electricity are among the 2,650 families who can avail themselves of the power service of the SHS for 2010.

Magdaleno Baclay Jr., senior specialist of DoE Visayas, said his agency was using Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) in its rural electrification program. But in the new batch of 2,650 families, they will use the Light Emitting Diode (LED).

Baclay said the LED is ideal for solar-generated power because it will light up even with one watt.

The officials from eight African countries — Maria Grciette Cardoso Pitra of Angola, Arron Aupa Samolekae of Botswana, Ebenezer Ashie of Ghana, Wesley Kipyego of Kenya, Ntsontso Joseph Mojefi of Lesotho, Robert Dulle Charles of Tanzania, Benon Bena of Zambia and Fred Mushimbwa of Uganda – heaped praise on DoE and Jica for the successful electrification of Alumar Island.

They witnessed how the island people enjoyed viewing their TV sets, listening to the radio, and using coolers to preserve food because of the solar project. They used a maximum of three CFLs in every house. PNA

DoE Visayas information officer Lou Arciaga said the solar panel was available in Cebu and a 20-watt panel will cost from P5,000 to P6,000 each. The battery that will convert the heart of the sun to electricity will cost from P3,000 to P4,000 each.

In the Alumar Island SHS project, the 50 household beneficiaries were formed into a Barangay Power Association (BAPA) under its president Bonifacio Tacatane. They agreed that each household beneficiary will pay P200 a month for their BAPA funds that will be used to buy the replacement of damaged solar panels or defective batteries.

Arciaga said the DoE would allocate funds every year to meet the target of 100 percent power service to all houses in the entire country by 2013.

Some barangays, however, specially those far from roads have no power connection.

”We have to double our efforts to meet the target of energizing all houses in the Philippines by 2013,” Arciaga said.

JICA local coordinator Eloisa Romero said the agency was willing to provide technical and financial assistance to rural electrification projects, but would make sure that all projects remained viable and sustainable. PNA