By Dominic B. dela Cruz
Staff reporter
Dingras, Ilocos Norte—Another solar power plant is expected to
operate soon in this province.
The new solar power plant
will be under the auspices of the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC)
through a build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme.
Specifically a photovoltaic
solar power plant, this project is being constructed by Bosung Powertec Co.,
Ltd. SPV and Bosungpower Philippines Inc.
INEC general manager Engr.
Felino Herbert P. Agdigos said that the project will have a 1 megawatt peak
capacity and is located at the back of INEC’s main office in this town.
Mr. Agdigos explained that
the Dept. of Energy approved the project with a construction period of six
months. He added that the project is now on its “finishing stage”.
The INEC official disclosed
that several DOE officials recently inspected the plant.
Mr. Agdigos stressed that the
DOE officials lauded the project as it would be the first time an electric
cooperative would have its own solar power plant.
He underscored further that
the project is very advantageous for INEC as this will greatly reduce their
systems loss. The reduction would be due to the nearness of the power plant.
The INEC official however
clarified that the power to be generated by the solar power plant would still
go directly to the spot market.
“Financially, awan contract tayo kaniyada but physically, datayo
iti mang-absorb diay production da ta datayo iti priority na. Ket
daytoy production na a 1 megawatt
ket umanay laeng a konsumo daytoy
sub-station ditoy Dingras ti aldaw lang kasi sa met la ag-generate
iti power daytoy solar power plant no
adda init ken lawag”, Mr. Agdigos said.
He also explained the process
for the purchase of power
“Saan tayo nga agbayad kaniyada iti kuryente a gatangen tayo no di ket
tay naki-kontrataan tayo a bilateral contractor tayo a supplier iti
pagbayadan tayo”, he stressed.
The INEC official said the
contractors have already set and fixed all the 3,200 photovoltaic panels. The
switch gear power house construction is still ongoing.
He also explained the BOT
scheme for this project. He said the project will be turned over to INEC in 15
years. He added that the contractors would not be charged with rent for the
lot.
Mr. Agdigos also said that
the Renewable Energy Law was strictly complied with and the two parties signed
agreements on the Distribution Willing Charge (DWC), Metering Service Agreement
and Connection Agreement.
Meanwhile, INEC board
president Reynaldo M. Lazo said the solar power plant is beneficial and
advantageous to all of INEC’s member-consumers especially those at the eastern
part of Ilocos Norte for its power quality.
He also mentioned the
advantage of owning the said power plant in 15 years.
Mr. Lazo also announced that
the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources approved the cutting of trees
that were affected by the project.
Bosung Powertec Co., is an
industrial company engaged in the manufacture of electricity distribution and
control equipment including relays and other industrial controls principally in
South Korea and now has a branch in the country.
Solar Energy has two parts:
photovoltaic and thermal. Photovoltaic technology directly converts sunlight
into electricity while solar thermal technology harnesses its heat. These two
technologies both tap the sun’s energy, locally and large-scale solar farms.
Photovoltaic was discovered
by French Physicist Edmund Bequerel in 1839 and was first used in industrial
applications in 1954.
Records show that one of the
biggest solar power plants in South East Asia can be found in the country.
The solar power plant
generates 132 megawatts in a 176-hectare land at Hacienda Paz, in Cadiz City,
Negros Occidental and was developed by Soleq Holdings, a Singapore-based
company.
One advantage of solar energy
is it is a completely renewable resource. This means that even when it cannot
make use of the sun’s power because of nighttime, cloudy and stormy skies, it
can always rely on the sun showing up the very next day as a constant and
consistent power source.
Comments
Post a Comment