Posted by ENN on May 07, 2001 at 03:00:08:
In one of the world's most isolated areas, where power generated by coal, oil or natural gas is not readily available, 150 villages are about to see the light of solar panels as a means of their first electricity.
BP Solar and the governments of Spain and the Philippines have signed an agreement that will bring solar power to about 400,000 residents in the Mindanao region of the Philippines, where about one-third of the nation's rural poor live.
Renewable energy in the Philippines is often more efficient than extending the electric grid. The prohibitive cost of building power lines and the difficulty of transporting fuel for generators to remote, developing areas makes solar power an ideal solution.
The $48 million contract, the largest solar energy project to date, is financed by the Spanish government. It will be implemented in two phases, the first of which is scheduled to begin in September.
Led by the Philippines Department of Agrarian Reform, the first phase of the project will introduce solar panels to power 5,500 home lighting systems in 70 villages.
Twenty-five irrigation systems and 97 clean drinking water and distribution systems will be powered during the first phase. Sixty-eight schools and community centers and 35 health clinics will be able to turn on lights for the first time.
The project will install 35 new AC power-supply systems to help generate income in the remote communities.
The second phase will provide each of 44 additional agrarian reform communities with a solar-powered health clinic, and 9,500 homes will receive solar lighting systems.
The solar systems in the Philippines will reduce the dependence of villages on non-renewable energy sources. The systems will also slow deforestation, as less wood will be cut to meet daily needs.
The project includes management and installation, social preparation, community development and training for hundreds of community organizations.
The solar systems in the Philippines will reduce the dependence of villages on non-renewable energy sources. The systems will also slow deforestation, as less wood will be cut to meet daily needs.
Replacing diesel generators, the new solar systems will reduce air and noise pollution. They will contribute to improved water supplies and better health and education facilities. Pumping and irrigation systems will free women and children from spending much of their time gathering food and water.
"This project reminds us that in the world's most isolated areas, solar is often the most cost effective way to supply basic, essential needs such as lighting, water pumping, irrigation and refrigeration for vaccines and medications," said Harry Shimp, BP Solar's president and CEO.
"We have been honored to work with outstanding representatives from the Spanish and Philippine governments to ensure that each village receives the help it most needs to get on the road to real economic development," Shimp added.
BP is one of the world's largest solar companies, with a 20 percent global market share and annual turnover of around $200 million.
This is not the first project to bring solar power to remote areas of the Philippines. In 1999, the administration of former President Joseph Estrada approved solar power systems in 263 communities across the country with the help of the Australian Government's Overseas Aid Program. One thousand solar systems were installed in 387 local community areas in this project.
Last year, the Philippines Renewable Energy Project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development at Manila encouraged the Estrada government to change energy regulations to spark the renewable energy market. The old regulations were the same as those applied to fossil-fuel power plants.
A mountainous country made up of more than 7,000 islands, the Philippines is an excellent candidate for renewable energy systems that tap energy from the sun, wind and water.
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