More on solar power & soccer fever

Several readers’ comments and queries following the column, Game Changer in Solar Power Industry (Philippine Star, June 26, 2014), were received.

One reader, Gerry Perez, wrote the following enquiry:                                  

“This is regarding your column… on LED/solar panels. You mentioned DOE being bullish about solar panels to be installed and maintained by a third party at no cost to participating schools or universities. The users will just need to pay for the electricity generated by the solar panels at a much cheaper rate than what Meralco is currently charging.

“I have just been to DOE … and was told by an engineer in charge of renewable energy that a solar panel supplier/contractor is not allowed to sell electricity directly to end users like schools, malls, etc. The third party supplier will still have to go through the electricity franchise holder of the area like Meralco for Metro Manila.

“I just would like to clarify your statement above.”

The above enquiry was referred to a group actively promoting solar power as alternative source of energy and below is their response:

“Meralco will respond according to the following two situations:

• Whether a Meralco client installs a solar-PV system capacity in excess of his daylight time direct consumption and intends to export to the distribution grid the solar PV-system generation in excess of his direct consumption from his solar PV-system.

• The Meralco client installs a solar-PV system capacity commensurate to his daylight-time consumption and consumes all of his solar PV-system generation and has nothing to export to the distribution grid.

“In the first situation, under the Net-Metering Scheme, the Meralco client has to get clearance from Meralco and pay Meralco for the separate bi-directional meter that can read both the client’s consumption from Meralco’s distributed electricity (net of his solar-PV generation directly consumed) and the client’s solar PV-generated electricity exported to Meralco’s distribution grid.

“Also Meralco has to check the consumer’s electrical connection to comply with the technical and safety requirements of National Building Code, the Electricity Distribution Code as well as Meralco’s own distribution network requirements for power quality. 

“Meralco’s safety concern is to ensure that during electrical outages (especially in the vicinity of the client’s solar-PV system), the client’s solar-PV generated electricity is grid-disconnected and prevents electrocution of their personnel “on the wires” attending to the said local outage.

Solar system capacity equals own consumption

“In the second situation, Meralco (relative to the first situation) is not that much technically concerned since the consumer is not exporting electricity to their distribution grid.

“Meralco, however will certainly be checking the client’s connection for the aforementioned safety issue after Meralco monitors the reduced electricity bill due to the client’s in-house solar-PV generation.

“In both the aforementioned situations, the Meralco client saves the value of electricity computed as the total daylight kilowatt-hours generated and consumed multiplied by the client’s unit rate of electricity reflected on his bill (which includes the total generation, transmission, distribution and tax components).

“In the first situation however, the exported electricity under the Net-Metering scheme will only be paid at the so-called “blended generation charge” which is about 60 percent of the aforementioned unit electricity rate.”

Soccer fever brings back table soccer

Riding the wave of soccer fever radiating from the recently concluded Brazil World Cup 2014, a decades-old sport is on revival – table football.

Yes, table soccer – that game you tried once or twice in your student days at your favorite watering hole – is back. The table-top game is also a sport known as table football, foosball, fussball, kicker or biliardino in other countries.

Whether invented in Europe or the UK, the game with little men on spinning rods (although spinning is not allowed) kicking a ball into a goal, was developed from the 1950s, becoming a global phenomenon in the 1970s, particularly in amusement parlors and schools. 

Today, a common set of international rules are in place coordinated by the International Table Soccer Federation (ITSF), an international organization tasked to develop and promote the sport throughout the world.

The Philippines is represented in the ITSF by Foosball Filipinas Association Inc., (FFA) a non-profit players’ association organized for the purpose of increasing the awareness and positive attributes of the game of foosball at local, regional and national levels. 

A five-year plan (2014-2019) to support and develop table soccer in the Philippines is in the works. In fact, the FFA is submitting a bid to host the 2019 edition of the ITSF World Cup and World Championships.

Group behind revival efforts

FFA, as the official sports association representing the Philippines in the international body governing table soccer, ITSF, was organized by young and veteran players of the game. 

Leading the group is Rafa Francisco, a table soccer aficionado and elected president of FFA. Supporting him are Paulo Ilagan, who started playing foosball during his high school days at Don Bosco Technical Institute; James Castillo, a competitive player since 1986 and currently a rated player with the United States Table Soccer Association with a 2200 Elo system rating; and Serge Aragones, another veteran foosball player.

The goup conducts free clinics for beginners at Strikes at The Palms Country Club. The other popular playing site is at Snaps Sports Bar, Sofitel Manila.

Interested sports enthusiasts may get more information about table soccer by visiting FFA and ITSF websites:  www.tablesoccerph.org  and www.table-soccer.org.

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Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 25th Floor, 139 Corporate Center, Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at [email protected]. For a compilation of previous articles, visit www.BizlinksPhilippines.net.