UA&P joins solar power bandwagon

MANILA, Philippines - The University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) in Ortigas has joined the growing number of schools now utilizing solar energy.

The university has installed a photovoltaic power system in its Parking and Sports Building (PSB) which generates up to 300 kilowatts of electricity, making it the first campus in the country to implement the use of solar energy in such a capacity.

“The system provides all of the 60 kw power need of PSB, which houses a three-level parking facility, two basketball courts, an Olympic-sized futsal pitch, and a three-lane indoor running track. It also feeds the power requirement of the other buildings on campus in tandem with the power supply from Manila Electric Co. (Meralco),” UA&P said.

UA&P Vvice president for development Ruben Umali said the goal is to ensure that stakeholders of the school are not burdened with the disruptive effects of power supply service interruptions that can only result in class schedule delays and extensions, and wasted resources.

He said the school’s switch to solar power is in response to the call of the Department of Energy (DOE) for energy conservation and efficiency, made tangible in the department’s solar power program in cooperation with Metro Manila schools.

Thus, at the rooftop of PSB are 1,200 pieces of high-efficiency 250-watt black monocrystalline solar panels that not only provided better architectural aesthetic to the roof and added protection for uplift winds, but has also saved the University as much as P4 million in heat insulation.

Umali said another feature is the system’s use of hybrid inverters that control and continuously charge a battery bank that could be switched on in the event of an unexpected shutdown of either the Meralco power supply or the solar power system.

Moving forward, UA&P hopes more buildings and schools in the country will soon follow suit.

Through the initiative of the DOE, several schools have already put up solar panels. These include Manuel L. Quezon University, Mapua Institute of Technology and La Consolacion College-Manila.

The DOE is hoping to double the country’s total renewable energy installation of 5,521 megawatts.

For the schools project, the DOE aims to install up to 100 kw rooftop solar PV systems to help schools lower their power costs.