Major power distributor pushes use of solar energy

Manila Bulletin
by Malou M. Mozo
September 15, 2014

Cebu City, Cebu — In a pioneering move, the Visayan Electric Company (Veco), which is the country’s second largest power distributor, is promoting the use of solar energy among its customers.

Officials of Veco, pushing for solar energy through its “Green Energy for a Brighter Future” campaign, are noting an increase in interest among household consumers in having their homes installed with solar panels. “The response we’re getting from our consumers, especially residential consumers, is overwhelming,” said Veco Chief Operating Officer Sebastian Lacson in an interview yesterday.

“Going solar means not only helping protect the environment but also saving money on electricity bills,”Lacson said.

Recently, Veco hosted, along with members of the Private Electric Power Operators Association, a workshop on “Net metering: How to avail of solar roof tops and other renewable energies” at the Radisson Blu Cebu Hotel.

During the workshop, Lacson urged customers to invest in solar power generation to reduce power consumption at home.

Since then, he said, Veco has received some 200 inquiries from its consumers who intend to invest in solar power generation. Lacson said 61 of these are for installation, while four have already been installed.

Veco has formed a strategic partnership with Enfinity, the sixth largest developer of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in the world and a market leader in Europe. Lacson said Solar Enfinity will install solar panels on the roof of consumer’s house with a 10-year guarantee.

The solar PV panels will be installed on the roof where free energy from the sun is turned into direct current electricity. Electricity is then carried to a wiring through an inverter and converted to alternating current power for home use.

Energy produced during daytime is used to power up appliances. At night, when the system is not producing energy, electricity is supplied by Veco in the usual regular way. A bidirectional meter records not only total electricity consumed but also the total electricity produced by the solar panels.

Lacson said a consumer who invests in solar energy will become a producer of power with a maximum limit of 1,000 watts. If the consumer uses less than the maximum limit, Veco will pay for the difference.

A typical one-kilowatt peak PV system installation produces 112.5 kilowatt hours (kWh) or about P1,300 in electricity cost. “If a regular household consumes an average of 200 kWh, which is equivalent to about P2,400, then he is able to save an average of P1,100 in their electricity bill if they invest in solar energy,” Lacson said.

Veco’s solar package costs P150,000 which Lacson said can be recovered by the consumer in seven to eight years. source