Philippines tourism destination set to run on sun power

The tourism hub of Puerto Princesa in the Philippines, home to the popular Underground River, will soon have a micro-grid solar power plant that will be launched to provide power for this project and the surrounding area.

Puerto Princesa is the capital of the island province of Palawan. The city has been acclaimed several times as the cleanest and greenest city in the Philippines. With a wide range of attractions ranging from beaches to wildlife reserves, Puerto Princesa is a nature lover’s paradise.

The Sabang Renewable Energy Corporation (SREC) in Sitio Sabang, Barangay Cabayugan by WEnergy Global was tested today and they said all systems are running well.

WEnergy Global Pte. Ltd. on its Facebook page stated that this testing was conducted by its whole team of experts and technicians along with its partners Gigawatt Power, Vivant Corporation, and TEPCO-Power Grid, as well as the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).

The system started supplying initial customers, namely few households and one hotel, the Daluyon Beach and Mountain Resort. The official launch will take place by the second week of September when a total of 650 households, which are mostly hotels, restaurants, and resorts, will benefit from the project when its full operation begins.

This project was designed to produce 1.4 megawatts of electricity from solar energy, combined with 1.2 megawatts from diesel generators aimed to power a 14-circuit kilometer distribution facility. By utilizing 60 percent solar and 40 percent biodiesel, SERC targets to showcase this project as a model in sustainable renewable energy generation in the Philippines.

SREC is going to sell power at a subsidized cost of P15 for commercial establishments and P12 per kilowatt-hour for residential.
The plan is to open the area to the public, particularly to tourists, to educate them about renewable energy and best practices worthy of being emulated.