The city of La Carlota in Negros Occidental took another leap towards clean energy economy, with the switching-on of the 100-kilowatt Solar PV System installed at the City Hall Feb. 22.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Mayor Rex Jalando-on led the switch-on ceremony, with solar panels installed on the rooftops of the main City Hall, the Sangguniang Panlungsod building, and the City Mayor’s Office.
It is harnessed by a photovoltaic (PV) system, which converts sunlight to electricity, and can supply 25 percent of the power requirements of these three buildings. Energy generated during the weekends will be sold to the Northern Negros Electric Cooperative, the city said.
The 100kW Solar PV System is a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) project of the City Government and Greystone Energy Systems for a period of 10 years.
Lacson lauded the efforts of the La Carlota LGU in using solar energy in government buildings, adding this is aligned with the provincial campaign, dubbed SecuRE or Ensuring Power Security with Renewable Energy.
SecuRE aims to adopt clean energy from abundant renewable resources, and enhance the energy security and environmental sustainability of Negros Occidental.
“This event, more than a mere milestone, demonstrates that concrete efforts are being made rather than mere lip service in our collective goal to promote sustainable and renewable energy (RE) in the province,” the governor said at the switch-on ceremony.
Jalando-on said in a Capitol press release that the city is gradually switching to RE to promote energy conservation, monetary savings, and environmental protection.
The local government unit had installed a 19kW solar panel system on the rooftop of the City Gymnasium 2, and another with a 25kW capacity on the rooftop of the Agora Public Market.
The city now has a total generating capacity of 144kW, and monetary savings for the LGU is estimated at P6 million annually.
La Carlota’s switch to a clean and renewable energy contributes, on a wider scale, to the promotion of energy conservation and the reduction of greenhouse gases that cause climate change.
It is also one of the pioneering cities that invested on environment-friendly e-trikes, in partnership with the Department of Energy.
Lacson, meanwhile, said that several buildings of the provincial government are to be partly powered by renewable energy this year. He also said he hopes that renewable energy will soon become the primary source of power, rather than just a subsidiary one.
Also present at the event were DOE Visayas Field Office director Ricardo Dela Cruz, Greystone vice president Manesh Gidwani and chief engineer Andre de Hertogh, Vice Mayor David Baga, Sangguniang Panlungsod members January Alvanez, Baste Benedicto, Akoy Sia, Stephen Simbit, Elmar Aries, and Annabelle Bermudo, and LGU department heads, among others. ||
