Panay and Negros islands potential sites of wind-based power

Residents of Panay and Negros Islands may not know it but their areas are potential sites of wind-based power.

Data obtained from the Department of Energy (DoE) indicate that Panay and Negros islands are potential sites of wind-based power in the country.  Other areas include Batanes and Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Norte, Mindoro, Samar, Leyte, Cebu and Palawan.

Wind-based power is considered a very practical way of electrifying remote and far-flung areas that are off the power grid. The DoE's goal is to install wind-based power projects with a capacity of at least 417 MW in the next 10 years. One of these, the Bangui Bay project is expected to generate 25MW. This wind power system is partly funded by the Danish International Development Agency.

The Philippines has untapped wind resources. The wind resource analysis and mapping study conducted by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (US-NREL) using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology showed that many areas in the country are of good-to- excellent wind resource for village power applications, particularly in its northern and central regions.

These best wind resources are found in the regions:  the Batanes and Babuyan Islands north of Luzon, the northwest tip of Luzon (Ilocos Norte); the higher interior terrain of Luzon, Mindoro, Samar, Leyte, Panay, Negros, Cebu, Palawan, Eastern Mindanao, and adjacent islands;well-exposed east-facing locations from northern Luzon southward to Samar; the wind corridors between Luzon and Mindanao (including Lubang Island) and between Mindoro and Panay (including the Semirara Islands; and extending to the Cuyo Islands.

Also, studies of the World Wildlife Fund and the University of the Philippines cited 1,038 wind sites in the country with a potential capacity of 7,404 MW. Potential sites considered feasible for using wind energy include 686 sites in Luzon and 305 in Visayas.

Aside from being clean and sustainable, alternative or renewable sources of energy are replenished unlike gas, coal and other oil-based products which may be depleted.

The country's abundant renewable energy resources such as sun, wind, biomass, and geothermal energy are now fast gaining attention from the Arroyo administration amidst the high cost of fuel oil.  Thus this augurs well for the use of alternative sources of fuel which the Arroyo administration is currently pushing. (PIA)