Solar power for b’gays under way

DAVAO CITY – Energy Secretary Mario Tiaoqui said at least 4,000 barangays throughout the country will benefit from the solar energy program the government is now pushing in these areas unreached by power grids.

"We can only energize these barangays through the solar energy program. Right now, we have 9,000 barangays that still need to be energized," Tiaoqui said.

Of these barangays, he said 4,000 will have to be energized through an off-grid system.

These villages, Tiaoqui said, are either upland or coastal barangays that can easily generate power from solar energy.

Other barangays will have to be energized through the "micro-hydro" system or the so-called "hybrid" system, which combines various energy sources. — Edith Regalado