Solar buildings

posted July 08, 2016 at 12:01 am

http://thestandard.com.ph/opinion/editorial/210205/solar-buildings.html

The age of solar power plants has finally arrived in the Philippines.

Previously considered a mere alternative source of power, solar plants are now a major contributor to the country’s electricity grid. The cost of solar panels has significantly gone down, prompting power companies to build plants with bigger capacities and at competitive rates.

Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia saw the real advantages of building more solar facilities in the country. For starters, the government plans to require all buildings in Metro Manila to install solar panels as an alternative source of energy. Solar panels on rooftops may not generate enough power output and replace baseload plants, but they will still provide relief on the supply requirements, especially during the dry months.

Pernia’s preference for solar power plants will signal a policy shift from the country’s heavy dependence on coal-fired power plants, which take about three years to build. Solar and other renewable and cleaner sources of energy require a shorter time to install, or about six months in the case of sun-powered plants.

The cost of building solar power plants has become viable in recent months after world production cost fell significantly because of increasing demand. The actual production of solar facilities has gone down to an equivalent of P5 per kilowatt-hour, or comparable with other sources of energy and the subsidy rate of P8 to P9 granted by the government to renewable energy developers.

Big solar farms have risen in the Philippines as a result of favorable economics. Helios Solar Energy Corp. and Soleq Holdings Inc. have built a 132.5-megawatt solar plant in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental province, while Solar Philippines installed a 63.3-MW facility in Calatagan, Batangas.

Buildings and commercial centers have also begun drawing part of their energy requirements from the sun. Robinsons Starmills in San Fernando, Pampanga is putting up a 2.88-megawatt solar plant on its roof, making it the world’s largest solar-powered mall and beating SM Mall of Asia’s 2.7-MW facility in Pasay City.

The government’s preference to rely on solar energy should expand to other sources of renewable sources like wind and water. For one, it should encourage run-of-the-river hydroelectricity, which does not require water storage and generate enough ample power as well.

The Philippines is teeming with renewable sources of energy. They are assets that should be exploited.