Government eyes partnership with Taiwanese firms for solar projects

BALER, Aurora, Philippines – A high-level delegation from the Philippines will meet with at least 15 Taiwanese companies for potential partnership in tapping solar energy in the country.

Sen. Edgardo Angara said the local delegation, composed of experts from government, the academe and industry stakeholders, will be deployed by the Congressional Commission on Science Technology and Engineering (COMSTE) which he chairs, to Taiwan, to strengthen ties for future collaboration in solar testing facilities.

Angara said the delegation, led by COMSTE executive director Dr. Gregory Tangonan, also includes professors from De La Salle and Ateneo, members of the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Inc. (SEIPI) and representatives from leading solar and electronics companies. They will leave for Taiwan on Nov. 26.

Angara said the delegation is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative which he said signals the dawning of the renewable industry revolution in the country, particularly in the light of the proposed creation of the Renewable Energy Research and Development Institute (RERDI).

He said to jump start the RERDI, P100 million has been allocated from the 2009 budget of the Department of Science and Technology for its operations.

The Philippine delegation will meet with the heads of more than 15 solar companies hoping to convince them to send their solar cells for testing at a new solar testing facility set to open within the month in Batangas. The facility is a partnership between COMSTE and First Philec and can test panels for optimal output in tropical conditions.

Angara expressed optimism that the partnership with Taiwanese firms will spread the gospel of renewable energy in the country.

“Developing innovative renewable energy systems can aid in achieving the long-term goal of energy independence. With RERDI, we can fully utilize Public Private Partnerships and our ties with neighboring countries to stimulate growth in the RE power sector,” he said.

Dr. Shigero Niki of Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, who heads their Solar Research and Testing Laboratory expressed interest in sending PV for testing in the country, noting that a testing facility here would be able to identify the proper engineering and technology for PV arrays and components which would be ideal for tropical conditions.

Other projects selected by COMSTE for the RERDI are solar cooling assessment, development and demonstration program by the Philippine Green Building Council (PHILGBC)/Institute of Industrial Electrical Engineers/ De La Salle University, and the study of algae as a biofuel.

A team composed of members from Ateneo de Manila University, Alson Aquacutlure Inc., and two other photo bio-reactor companies aims to study optimal conditions that will promote the growth of algae and the cleaning of coal fired plants by placing them nearby aquaculture ponds.

Power, hybrid RE systems, alternative fuels from solid residue, biodiesel production and development, gasohol related process development, and materials development for energy applications have also been identified as RERDI priorities.