Part of renewable energy campaign
TACLOBAN CITY – The Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) has formalized partnerships with two local government units (LGUs) in Eastern Visayas to install rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on their municipal buildings, marking a significant step towards promoting renewable energy in the region.
The beneficiary municipalities, Guiuan in Eastern Samar and Paranas in Samar, will each receive solar PV systems valued at P6.7 million.
The agreements were signed on October 11 by ICSC Executive Director Angelo Kairos dela Cruz, alongside Guiuan Mayor Annaliza Gonzales-Kwan and Paranas Mayor Eunice Babalcon.
The installation of these rooftop solar PV systems is part of ICSC’s initiative to encourage the adoption of renewable energy (RE) at the local level, driving solar uptake in municipal, commercial, industrial, and residential buildings.
Once completed, these projects will bolster the energy independence of the LGUs, reducing reliance on unstable grid power and frequent blackouts that plague Samar Island.
Additionally, the solarization efforts are expected to lower long-term energy costs, allowing savings to be redirected to other municipal investments, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel dependency.
The Solarize Guiuan project will feature the installation of 100 bifacial solar panels, each with a capacity of 600 watts, for a total peak capacity of 60 kilowatts.
Meanwhile, the Solarize Paranas initiative will install 88 bifacial panels with a capacity of 555 watts each, totaling 48.84 kilowatts.
Mayor Kwan emphasized that Guiuan’s reliance on costly and unreliable grid electricity has hampered the municipality’s economic growth.
“Our town has suffered from high energy costs and persistent power outages, discouraging investors and hindering the productivity of our fisheries sector,” said Kwan. “We cannot progress; we remain poor because of power issues.”
Kwan expressed hope that the solarization of the municipal building would encourage private enterprises and other government offices in Guiuan to adopt renewable energy, mitigating the impact of frequent power interruptions on their operations.
Paranas Mayor Babalcon, who initiated the municipality’s solarization efforts in 2019 with the installation of PV systems for the municipal evacuation center and materials recovery facility, said this latest initiative will further strengthen Paranas’ commitment to climate action.
“The Solarize Paranas project fortifies our existing solarization efforts and enhances our focus on climate mitigation and adaptation,” Babalcon noted. “This step contributes to our broader goal of reducing the impacts of climate change.”
She also highlighted the importance of renewable energy during disasters, when grid power is often unavailable. “Solar power ensures that during typhoons, we can keep lights on in evacuation centers and maintain communication, which is critical in emergency situations,” Babalcon said.
Under the agreement, the LGUs will manage and maintain the hybrid photovoltaic systems donated and installed by ICSC.
The agreement also requires the LGUs to apply for net metering with their respective distribution utilities—Samar Electric Cooperative II (Samelco II) for Paranas and Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative (Esamelco) for Guiuan.
This will allow the LGUs to sell surplus electricity generated on weekends when municipal buildings typically have lower power consumption.
If Guiuan’s net metering application is approved, it will become the first member-consumer of Esamelco to benefit from the net metering law.
Additionally, the LGUs are tasked with developing a rooftop-mounted Solar Power Station Roadmap, identifying the solar potential of public buildings in their municipalities, and passing a Municipal Renewable Energy Ordinance to institutionalize rooftop solar adoption. ICSC will provide technical assistance to support these efforts.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
