“According to Secretary Angelo Reyes, all barangays are just a few months away from being energized as a result of the rural electrification program.”
by Ducky Paredes
Thirty-five solar panels costing at least P60,000 each to light up a 40-foot Christmas tree at the Mall of Asia with light-emitting-diode (LED) Christmas bulbs seems a bit extravagant. The message that the Department of Energy, under the leadership of Secretary Angelo Reyes, is one of pushing the country further on the road of clean, green and ultimately cheaper energy sources.
When Secretary Reyes turned on the lights on the giant tree, it marked the launch of the SWITCH 3 Light-A-Million-Homes program of the DOE that seeks to bring light to more than a million Filipino homes that are still in darkness, especially in the rural areas.
Foreign diplomats, headed by US Ambassador Kristie Kenny, representatives of the World Bank and other international donor agencies and high local government officials witnessed the ceremony.
According to Secretary Angelo Reyes, all barangays are just a few months away from being energized as a result of the rural electrification program that was established as a priority by the Arroyo administration. The program is the center piece of the celebration by the DOE of Energy Month and the signing of the Renewable Energy Law by President Arroyo.
The DOE says that the government has completed the electrification of approximately 97% of the barangays. According to Reyes, “In 2009, all these communities will be served and three million families are also scheduled to benefit from cheap electric power using renewable sources. These communities are scattered across mountainous areas or on islands, where it is not economical to erect power transmission lines.”
Reyes also appealed to private corporations, state-controlled agencies and civil society groups to continued to participate in lighting up communities by sponsoring solar panels for streetlights, households, and schools.
Communities in Mindanao, which are among the poorest in the archipelago, will benefit most from the program. The Alliance for Mindanao Off-Grid Renewable Energy (AMORE) has spearheaded the electrification program in Mindanao, with the support of US Agency for International Development (AID) and the DOE. It has lighted up 12,000 homes in the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, Zamboanga Peninsula, and the Cotabato as well as Davao.
Tetchi Cruz-Capellan, head of AMORE, says that the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM ) still has the lowest electrification rate in the country with under 90% of barangays electrified. But with the use of solar panels utilizing advanced technology, this will be remedied in the foreseeable future.
The solar panels used in the lighting of the tree were donated by Sunpower Corporation, an American solar cell manufacturer located in Sta Rosa, Laguna. Sunpower Corporation is a publicly-listed company providing solar panels worldwide. It is considered one of the biggest solar energy companies supplying European and American renewable energy providers and users. In partnership with AMORE, Sunpower Corporation provided hundreds of solar panels to light rural schools in Mindanao.
The use of solar panels effectively advances our country to the front ranks of nations using advanced technology to lessen dependence on fossil fuel. This means that we are contributing to the worldwide effort to ease global warming that threatens the world’s ecology.
Each solar panel generates 220 watts of energy. This generated energy from the sun will be converted to direct current and stored in ten batteries. About 3,000 watts will be produced by this solar panel installation. It is enough to light the thousands of LED bulbs that light up the tree.
LEDs are light emitting diodes made of solid state semi-conductor materials. They are the safest and most environment friendly lighting technology as no harmful chemicals and gases like mercury and argon are used. LEDs last 50,000 hours and are considered the most energy efficient lighting. They use up a fraction of what incandescent of fluorescent lighting uses and are even more energy efficient than CFLs (compact fluorescent lamp).
The Asian Development Bank is slated to pilot LEDs in the rural areas as it partners with DOE and Winrock International in providing lanterns to 2500 homes located in AMORE project areas.
Thus the lighting of the earth-friendly Christmas Tree is a testimony to the commitment of the Department of Energy and its partners to promote renewable energy, pursue rural electrification for millions of households, and advocate use of energy efficient lighting.
Angelo Reyes who was formerly with the Department of Environments and Natural Resources (DENR) has steadily led our country to the era of clean, green and efficient energy use, resulting in cheaper power generation, and benefiting millions of Filipinos who would otherwise live in darkness.
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One can purchase LED bulbs from the Gadget Tree stores in Greenbelt 5 and Trinoma. These are great stores for anyone who is as gadget-addicted as I am. The LED bulb is expensive but makes sense when one considers how much one saves from using less electricity. Actually, all of these things make a lot more sense because of our much higher electricity rates than in most of the world, thanks to the take-or-pay agreement that Meralco has with the Lopez power-generating firms that use natural gas from Malampaya.
Too bad that even when one goes for clean and green, efficient and cheaper, others still find a way of making living even more expensive.
Yet, imagine how much it would have cost to light up that giant Mall of Asia tree using regular Christmas lights and Meralco power. If one lights up that tree for several years, buying the solar panels begins to make sense. These panels only have to be cleaned yearly and will last 25 years.
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The Rhett Ermita Cup will tee-off at 10 in the morning on Monday. December 22 at the Executive Course of Valley Golf and Country Club. On Tuesday, December 23, Senior Care, the senior program of the Federation of Golf Clubs will be held at Greenfields, the Ayala course.
Today, of course will be the year-ending Federation of Amateur Senior Golfers, Inc. (FPASGI) at Malarayat in Lipa City. Tomorrow. Saturday. My home club – Capitol Golf and Country Club – will have a senior tournament held by the FPASGI Capitol chapter.
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hvp 12.18.08)
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