Small hydropower projects run by local communities are no pipedream. One such project has been running for 16+ years in Negros Occidental, under the management of the local community’s own cooperative.
A team led by former governor Rafael Coscolluela, now provincial consultant for Energy and Environmental Concerns, paid a working visit to this remotely-located hydro power plant in northern Negros July 10.
True enough, it is a perfect example of the DER (distributed energy resource) model operating independently from the grid, as witnessed by the visiting team comprised of members of the Provincial Power Sector Study Group (PPS-SG) and the Negrosanon Initiative for Climate and the Environment.
Established in 2008 through the Asian Development Bank, the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, the provincial government, and REnew Negros, this micro-hydro powerplant has transformed the energy landscape for two sitios, providing electricity to at least 253 households. With a turbine-powered 62kva generator, the plant allows the community to generate their own electricity, off-grid.
This DER not only ensures energy self-sufficiency but also allows community members to set their own charges for power consumption, with some households paying as little as P20 per month, a Capitol press release said.
The continuing development and success of such DERs – particularly for unserved communities or areas that can be served by renewable power resources – is a key element in the energy development roadmap of Negros Occidental, it added.
As part of the province’s campaign for power security through renewable energy, the SecuRE Negros campaign seeks to bring Renewable, Reliable, Affordable, Available, Accessible, and Sustainable Energy in Occidental Negros (RRAAASE-ON) to all Negrenses by 2030.
Transitioning to more renewable energy and DERs, the PPS-SG said, will help Negros attain its goal of a greener and more empowered future. ||
