DOE to tap Clean Technology Fund to put up solar charging stations

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Energy (DOE) was cleared to tap the Asian Development Bank’s Clean Technology Fund (CTF) to put up solar charging stations in support of the electric tricycle (e-trike) project.

DOE Assistant Secretary Leonido Pulido said the agency was given the go ahead to use the CTF to install solar charging stations in critical locations across the country.

“We have to bid it out. So that’s going to take a while. We’re waiting for certain consultants to come in and help us come up with a plan and the terms of reference,” he said.

The consultant will help the DOE to lay down the criteria to identify the technology and the location to construct the solar charging stations.

Pulido said the criteria is important in making the installation of solar charging stations objective and  transparent. “It has to meet the objectives of the e-trike project,” he said.

The PIC was awarded to SMEC International Pty. Ltd., which provides global consultancy expertise in urban, infrastructure and management advisory through its network of 120 offices in more than 40 countries throughout Asia, Australasia, Africa,  UK, the Middle East and the Americas.

Once issues are threshed out, the DOE will start bidding out the contract to put up the charging stations. The DOE is given a period of six months to do the project.

The DOE earlier secured approval to extend the loan and roll out the rest of the 3,000 e-trikes under the government’s joint project with the ADB until May 2019.

The agency was supposed to distribute the e-trikes only until June, but the deadline for the rollout of units had been extended to next year.

Out of the 3,000 e-trikes ready for deployment, around 1,200 are committed for distribution to several LGUs in  Marawi, Valenzuela, Muntinlupa, Las Piñas and Pateros.