Posted on September 18, 2014 09:54:00
PM [ BusinessWorld Online ]
A RENEWABLE energy developer is set to
start commercial operations of a 700-kilowatt (kW) solar rooftop project that
will provide electricity to a shopping mall in Laguna.
In a statement on Thursday, Solar
Philippines Rooftop Projects, Inc. said it will launch the solar project in
Central Mall in Biñan on Saturday.
Premiumlink Development Corp., the
operator of the mall, tapped Solar Philippines to design, construct and install
the project.
“Under a power purchase agreement, the
energy generated by the solar power plant is sold to the establishment for its
own consumption, at a rate lower than the usual electricity rates in the area,”
the statement read.
The power project is expected to
supply around 30% of Central Mall’s total energy consumption -- which would
lead to savings amounting to more than P100,000 every month.
The solar facility will occupy 700
square meters of roof space. It has 2,514 solar panels on steel mounting
structures.
“The Central Mall Biñan Solar Rooftop
Project marks many firsts for
renewable energy
in the Philippines,” the statement
read.
“It is the first solar project granted
loan financing by one of the country’s biggest banks, the Bank of the
Philippine Islands,” it added
Solar Philippines finances solar
installations at zero upfront cost. The company designs, engineers, constructs,
installs and maintains large-scale rooftop projects.
The company also has a presence in
Palawan and Roxas City.
It recently secured a contract to
develop a 1.5-megawatt (MW) solar facility in Quezon City.
Apart from Solar Philippines, eight
other firms bagged contracts to proceed with their solar projects across the
country.
Two projects will be developed in
Bataan -- Next Generation Power Tech Corp.’s 20-MW plant in Mariveles and BWST,
Inc.’s 150-MW plant in Orani.
A 3-MW plant is planned by Solar
Pacific Energy Corp. to power parts of El Nido in Palawan, while San Carlos
Solar Energy, Inc. will build an 18-MW solar facility in La Carlota, Negros
Occidental.
A 50-MW plant is also being planned by
Sulu Electric Power & Light (Phils), Inc. at a site straddling the
municipalities of Tacloban, Sta. Fe and Palo in Leyte province.
Enfinity Renewables, Inc. secured
contracts for three 10-MW projects -- two of which will be located in General
Santos City, and one in Polomolok, South Cotabato.
A 12-MW
plant will be built by Asian Greenergy Corp. in Kibawa, Bukidnon; while Cagayan
Electric Power & Light Company, Inc. will have a 20-MW facility in
Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental. -- Claire-Ann Marie C. Feliciano
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