Veco to customers: Install solar panels

CEBU, Philippines - The Visayan Electric Company continues to encourage its customers to install solar panels in their individual homes or companies.

"We are encouraging our customers to avail on this. They can save on their electricity bill and help the environment as well," said Baste Lacson, chief operating officer of VECO.

According to him, about 200 customers so far manifested intent to put up solar panels in their respective households, although only four have been installed.

A solar panel that can store 1KWh cost around P150,000 including the installation.

VECO hosted yesterday a workshop on "Net metering: How to avail of solar roof tops and other renewable energies" with members of the Private Electric Power Operators Association.

Jericho Petilla, secretary of the Department of Energy, in his message on the New Metering Reference Guide said that the country can harness the sun's power as its radiation across the country has a power generation of 4.5 to 5.5 kWh per square meter per day.

The energy secretary said that on every grid, a household or company can utilize the power of the sun with solar panels on their own roofs, which paves way to the introduction of the net-metering scheme.

The scheme, Petilla said, represents the first step of a paradigm shift from the traditional generation-transmission-distribution scheme towards individual and community-based distributed on-site power generation.

Net-metering is the first non-fiscal incentive mechanism fully implemented under the Renewable Energy Act of 2008.

Through the installation of solar photovoltaic panels up to 100kW, house owners and commercial establishments can now partly satisfy their electricity demand by themselves.

Aside from this, Petilla added that end users can help mitigate the effects of climate change through the use of clean energy technologies and this will also contribute in lessening the country's dependence on costly imported fossil fuels.

Val Saludes, VECO's vice president for engineering, said that in order for the public to be aware of this new technology, they conducted various educational forum, trained representatives to answer queries about solar panel, collaborated with Enfinity, a company that develops solar photovoltaic projects, sent technical personnel for trainings, coordinated with the Office of the Building Official for permit and other requirements, and coordinated with various local government units on any Building Code violation, among others.

"We assure you that you are in good hands," said Saludes referring to customers who will avail of the solar panel technology. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/NSA (FREEMAN)