Solar power facilities installed in 2 Iloilo towns under province’s RE program

SOLAR power systems were installed in several public buildings in the towns of Pototan and Concepcion under the Iloilo provincial government’s renewable energy (RE) program that encourages localities to adopt green energy.   

The renewable energy facilities were set up at the Iloilo Provincial Hospital located in Pototan, a legislative building, schools, an evacuation center, a fire station, among other public utilities.  

The different solar power systems provide a combined monthly savings in electricity cost of about P100,000.   

For the 175-bed provincial hospital, solar photovoltaic (PV) panels with a 75-kilowatt (kW) capacity were installed.  

“The solar installations cut down costs dramatically and increase the reliability of electricity for crucial health services,’’ Paz V. Calopiz, head of Iloilo’s Hospital Management Office, said in a joint statement on Monday from the Department of Energy (DoE) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).  

DoE and UNDP, along with the Global Environment Facility (GEF), provided support to the projects implemented through the Iloilo Provincial Renewable Energy Plan (I-PREP).  

In Concepcion, Mayor Milliard S. Villanueva said eight buildings have been energized with 80 kW peak solar PV and 15kWp hybrid grid solar battery system installations.  

“These solar panels will definitely cut day-to-day energy consumption expenses of the LGU (local government unit), and because we know that solar power has no emissions during generation and can solve the problem of greenhouse gases, we believe we are doing our part in helping provide solutions to climate change,” said Mr. Villanueva. 

The systems are also seen to mitigate risks from unstable power supply in in Concepcion’s smaller communities.  

Plans are also underway for renewable energy installations in Gigantes Island, located off the northeastern part of Iloilo where about 800 families reside.  

The solar systems will be set up at public schools and facilities for drying and freezing scallops.  

The UNDP’s Development for Renewable Energy Applications Mainstreaming and Market Sustainability (DREAMS) Project supports local capacity to innovate, operate, and maintain renewable energy facilities. — MSJ