DOE completes upgrade of Vigan biogas facility

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Energy (DOE) has completed the upgrade of a biogas facility in Vigan, Ilocos Sur as an alternative source of energy.

The project, which commenced in May 2010, is in partnership with the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) and the provincial government of Ilocos Sur, and is part of its Gender and Development (GAD) program.

 Under the project, proponents upgraded the existing 32-cubic meter biogas digester to 200 cubic meters, benefitting the Benedictine Nuns of the Eucharistic King (BNEK).

 BNEK is a monastery of 100 nuns nestled in a five-hectare farming community in Vigan. The upgrade of the biogas facility comes on the back of the DOE’s efforts to push for alternative fuel.

 â€œWe are continuously and aggressively looking for alternative and viable sources of energy that will benefit our communities. We are also encouraging local communities to be involved in the fulfillment of this cause,” Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla said.

 Biogas is produced from the fermentation of wastes, such as manure, which releases methane that is highly combustible and renewable. The biogas digester could produce around 81 cubic meters of biogas per day or an equivalent of three 11.5 kg tanks of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) a day.

The Benedictine monastery utilizes the biogas for cooking and heating, and for most of its electricity requirements through a biogas-fuelled generator. The generated electricity is also shared with the Benedictine Sisters of Eucharistic King (BSEK), a neighboring monastery.

 The communities also see their adoption of the biogas technology as a potential solution to the waste management challenges of handling a pig farm, according to the DOE.

 Apart from the set-up of the biogas facility, DOE and MMSU achieved 20 other outputs through the Gender Mapping and Sensitivity Holistic Advocacy for Renewable Energy Development program.

 MMSU, for one, equipped the community with a 1,200-watt solar water pumping system for farm demonstration and five units of micro-hydro system-operated rice mills and other electric and electronic devices.