] bworldonline.com ]
WINNERGY Holdings Corp. commissioned last week a
10-kilowatt-peak (kWp) floating solar farm on Laguna Lake within Baras,
Rizal province, the company said on Tuesday.
Winnergy said the project is the first floating solar farm in the
Philippines, thus opening the possibility of using energy from the sun
beyond the traditional ground-based and rooftop-mounted systems.
The company said it aims to show the technical feasibility of
floating solar technology in the country. The technology involves
deploying solar photovoltaic panels on the surface of a body of water.
In a statement, Winnergy President Janina Bonoan said one of the
advantages of floating solar farms over ground-mounted solar facilities
is that no farm or forest lands are used. No trees are required to be
cut, she added.
“Floating solar farms also mitigate water evaporation and the
proliferation of algae in the lake, and may help aquatic/marine life
flourish,” the company said.
Ms. Bonoan said the project has the potential to improve the community and boost local tourism and economy.
She said floating solar farms are more technically efficient than
ground-mounted projects because the cooling effect of the surrounding
water on the panels makes the panels produce more energy.
Winnergy said the pilot project would provide free renewable energy
to the municipality of Baras. The solar farm is equipped with a battery
storage system that ensures a sustainable power flow.
Ahead of the solar farm’s commissioning, Winnergy along with the town
and the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) signed on Aug. 14 a
tripartite memorandum of agreement for the pilot project. — Victor V. Saulon
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