Solar power for far-flung areas gets boost
Solar Electric Company Inc. (Solarco) and microfinance firm Taytay sa Kauswagan Inc. (TSKI) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the strengthening of solar electric systems in far flung areas of the country which are not reached by commercial power providers.
The partnership is supported by independent power provider Mirant Philippines and endorsed by the Department of Energy (DOE).
The MOA intends to expand the beneficiaries of Solarco's solar electrification through the help of TSKI which has branches all over the country.
"This is the fulfillment of my dream to bring solar power to the farthest remote area of the Philippines through the help of TSKI and DOE," said Robert L. Puckett, president of Solarco in a press briefing.
With the partnership, an interested household could now avail of solar power to be financed by TSKI.
TSKI executive director Angel De Leon said the project is more of a corporate social responsibility on the part of TSKI and Solarco as it intends to help the poor communities avail of electricity through solar energy.
The project involves the installation of solar module on a household at the cost of P21,000. The module includes three lights with an expected lifetime of 40 years.
De Leon said initial implementation of the project would be made in Palawan where, he said, a lot of communities are not yet reached by electricity.
Yesterday's MOA signing was witnessed by Mirant Philippines' Eric Dela Torre and Director Mylene Capongcol of DOE.
Puckett stressed that he has been promoting solar power since 1976 and it has been growing at a fast pace here in the country.
He stressed that with the present energy problems that the country is facing it is imperative that we make use of renewable sources of energy like solar, wind, hydro and biogas. The said renewable energy sources, he adds, is just around us ready to be utilized.