Business World Online
Posted on March 10, 2015 09:56:00 PM
THE GOVERNMENT has teamed up with a South Korean company to test new technology enabling the use of wind energy in remote areas not connected to the main electricity grid.
The National Power Corp. (Napocor) yesterday signed a memorandum of agreement with Odin Energy Co. Ltd. for the installation of the company’s wind tower systems in selected off-grid areas.
Gladys Cruz-Sta. Rita, Napocor president, said the Odin Energy will invest around $2 million for the first wind tower system, which can generate around 120 kilowatts of electricity.
“We are looking at different sites right now and then we will choose one,” she said on the sidelines of the signing ceremony in Makati City.
“We are considering putting up the first one either in Lubang Island (off Mindoro), Polillo Island (in Quezon), or in Ticao Island (off Masbate),” she said.
She said Napocor will select the site and allot land for the project. Odin Energy, on the other hand, will shoulder the cost of installing the wind tower.
“We are planning to start construction of the first one in May and then complete it after five to six months,” Ms. Cruz-Sta. Rita said.
“The good thing is that the project will be tested at no cost to the government,” she added.
The testing aims to determine the commercial viability of the project, which will likely be replicated in other far-flung areas.
“We have so many islands that are not connected to the grid. All of them are candidates,” Ms. Cruz-Sta. Rita said.
The project in the Philippines will be Odin Energy’s first venture outside South Korea. The company is already testing the same technology in Jeju Island.
Lee Hyuk, the South Korean ambassador, said Odin Energy’s technology will help address the challenge in providing electricity in off-grid areas.
“This pioneering technology offers a stable and lasting solution to the recurring problem,” said Mr. Lee.
“The wind tower of Odin Energy is the first of its kind in the world. It has multi-floor structure with facilities for Internet and telecommunications,” he added.
This tower system, Mr. Lee said, can produce more electricity through wind energy compared with traditional turbines used in existing wind farms.
He added that the wind system -- which can be easily applied in both off-grid and on-grid areas -- has less maintenance cost compared to the traditional power plants.
The technology also promises diminished noise and vibration, leading to possible use in buildings.
Odin Energy came to the Philippines with the help of Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, which scouts for Korean firms interested in investing in the Philippines.
Napocor is mandated by Republic Act 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001, to provide electricity to remote areas not connected to the power grid.
It currently serves 300 off-grid areas, covering 207 towns across 36 provinces. -- Claire-Ann Marie C. Feliciano source
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