A drought and famine for solutions

For several decades now, I have had an interest in solar power for residential and recreational applications. I’ve bought books, attended a serious 10-day seminar at Meralco where things got so technical, I experienced “technical nosebleed.”

Undeterred, I continued to buy magazines, publications on solar power, even took clippings from magazines, etc. Realizing I was not getting anywhere, I started making inquiries with actual providers and companies engaged in such products and installations.

Unfortunately, that too was equally frustrating because most companies were not interested in small specific applications such as powering up deep well pumps, swimming pool and pond pumps and filters, or isolated or standalone appliances.

They were generally only interested in systems or complete packages that cover lights, aircons, refrigerators and computers, etc. What I found odd was that they all quoted a ballpark figure of P500,000+/- for a system I did not want and could not afford.

Evidently there is a disconnect between customer needs and suppliers’ offers. Customers are trying to save on electricity or bring electricity to off-grid locations where there are no power lines. Others simply cannot sustain power consumption for long durations or pay the horrendous charges leveled by power cooperatives.

Others have seasonal businesses such as resorts that are off-grid and cannot cover high electricity bills but not having constant electricity also affects business continuity and sustainability. On the other hand, suppliers try to force customers’ hands into committing to big projects that make their efforts profitable to make up for lean months or sporadic sales.

I continued looking and asking around and this eventually led me to YouTube and Facebook. For beginners or newbies, the DIY videos and pitches were also triggers for nosebleed or a potential holdup by scammers or people who were evidently just starting out or experimenting or “commissioners” posing as the actual expert or the equivalent of resellers on Shopee or Lazada.

My latest sight-seeing tour was on Facebook, where a particular group popped up and it did not take me long to conclude that there is a nationwide “drought & famine for solutions” regarding pumping water out of the ground for various applications.

At the height of summer, it becomes abundantly clear that we have so much solar energy available FOR FREE! Judging from the messages, many Filipino farmers and residents live in areas where there is some source of water, either underground or from above ground such as springs, brooks or streams. Others just want to reduce their electricity bill while using their aircons.

My third observation is that these Filipinos desperately want and need a solution that will combine all three. They are all actively searching and have some money or a business potential that could generate cash to cover REASONABLE COSTS or deferred payments.

Outside of all of these, here are the ironies in the Philippines: Every summer or dry season, the power grids, power generation and usage almost and always hit RED ALERT status. The cost of electricity in the Philippines is the highest among third world nations in our region. Average Filipinos spend a fifth or a quarter of their salary for electricity, if not more.

Government agencies scare Filipinos into conserving electricity, media promote going to malls, etc., thus making them spend even more money. Instead of incentivizing power conservation and use of alternative renewable energy, the Philippine government imposes duties and taxes on equipment and spare parts for solar power.

The national government and hundreds of local governments waste billions of pesos making and destroying concrete roads, waste hundreds of millions on vehicles that are ruined 10 times faster than private vehicles and, irony of ironies, Gov.ph and LGUs pay out millions if not billions on electric bills for government offices, police stations, hospitals, schools and universities.

Then there are the hundreds of kilometers of streetlights needed to keep our roads safe. Add to that all the money spent on electricity for seaports, airports and airport runways, military camps, etc. We are talking hundreds of millions in wasted money and hundreds of millions of pesos in lost opportunities and untapped energy.

The question is, why is no one in government, Congress or the private sector putting up a non-profit institution that would promote, educate and guide ALL Filipinos on everything we need to know about solar power and alternative energy sources. Why surrender solar energy to influential individuals or companies as a business instead of making it a “human right” for Filipinos?

I would imagine that government funded institutions such as the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) or maybe UP Los Baños or the Department of Energy (DOE) should have prioritized such a program in terms of educating and empowering the public as well as providing real solutions badly needed by power consumers and farmers as well. If they have, well, their work is not being shared, given for free or being helpful.

Every time I speak with foreign guests or family members from abroad, especially the Netherlands, I grimace in envy when they complain that they can no longer “sell back” electricity to the power company because there are so many solar powered homes that fewer people consume fuel generated electricity.

I think we are generations away from that possibility and if we fail to establish the use of alternative energy as a choice for every home, the goal post will move further by another generation along with the potential growth of income and economy in the Philippines. Access to solar powered electricity should be a natural right of every Filipino as sure as the sun rises in the east.

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