DOE hails PNOC’s solar home systems project

Energy Secretary Vincent Perez has lauded the Solar Home Systems Distribution project of the Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC) for clinching top honors in the Energy Globe Awards for Sustainability held recently in Vienna, Austria.

The PNOC’’s solar home system distribution program is part of the government’s efforts to erase rural poverty by accelerating electrification in remote areas.

Supported by the Dutch government, the project is aimed at installing 15,100 units of solar home systems to serve the poor and underprivileged people.

To date, PNOC has installed 1,647 solar panels in remote mountainous areas of various provinces such as Ifugao and Abra in Cordillera Region, Ilocos Sur and Abra in Region 1, Nueva Viscaya in Region 2, Quezon and Palawan in Region 4, and Aklan, Iloilo and Guimaras in Region 6.

Other mountainous areas that are being explored for implementation are Cagayan, Isabela, Batanes, Kalinga-Apayao, Benguet, Antique and Negros.

"I am very pleased that our renewable energy projects such as this solar project of PNOC are being recognized internationally. By providing electricity through solar home systems, we will enhance the access of basic services to the countryside and improve the plight of our people," Perez said.

The Energy Globe Awards, which are considered the Oscar Awards of the international energy sector, was organized in 2000 and given annually to projects and initiatives by the private and government sectors around the world. It was organized by an Austrian industrialist named Wolfgang Neumann.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has been actively promoting renewable energy projects in the country such as wind, solar, bagasse, risk husk, micro hydro, wind, solar and ocean power.