Zuellig Building invests in solar power system: Newly built office development installs 200 sqm of solar panels

MANILA, Philippines - With most of the world’s electricity produced with fossil fuels that emit large amounts of toxic fumes, more companies and property developers are turning to the use of waste-free, renewable solar energy to mitigate the damage created to the environment. In the Philippines, the Zuellig Building has invested in an On-Grid Solar Power system that requires minimal maintenance and promises substantial long-term energy savings to promote environmental sustainability.
The Zuellig Building, a project of Bridgebury Realty Corporation (BRC), an affiliate of the Zuellig Group, holds 200 sqm of solar panels with a capacity of 28.3 kW to generate an annual output ranging from 32,538 kWh to 37,802 kWh, depending on the incidence of sunlight. The produced energy will be used on any electrical load in the developers’ office, located at the 32nd floor of the building.
The Zuellig Building has complied with the standards of the LEED-CS (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) (Core & Shell) rating system of the USGBC (US Green Building Council), providing water and energy savings, lower operating costs and superior indoor air quality. It is the first high-rise office development in the Philippines to be awarded with a LEED-CS pre-certification at Gold level.
The installation of solar panels is not a LEED requirement for the Zuellig Building to attain its certification, but was decided upon by the developers to bring their eco-responsibility to the next level. The system’s turnkey integrator, One Renewable Energy Enterprises (OREE), which shares the same commitment towards sustainable principles and technologies, was recommended by the building’s architect of record, WV Coscolluela & Architects, represented by its Principal Architect Willy Coscolluela. As vice-chairman of the Makati Commercial Estate Association (MACEA), Architect Coscolluela is also involved in a project with OREE to power underpasses of the city’s Central Business District with a solar power system.
The Zuellig Building uses Panasonic’s HIT technology, recognized globally as one of the superior commercially available solar modules today. “This guarantees us the quality, sustainability, productivity and cost effectiveness, long term,” says Erel Narida, OREE president.
“Solar [power] may be expensive in the initial investment but it assures a level and predictable cost for the next 20 years. This will not be subject to the fluctuations of [power] rates of distribution utility companies that supply residential and commercial establishments.”
The Zuellig Building’s Panasonic Solar PV System is designed to generate an annual output ranging from 32,538 to 37,802 kWh (depending on the incidence of sunlight), guaranteeing BRC lower operating costs for the next 20 years (A typical room air conditioner uses about 1-2 kWh per hour to energy usage). Its “off-grid” design allows energy to be stored in a battery so that power from the sun can still be used during the night.
Narida emphasized that the use of the alternative and renewable source of energy would lessen the country’s dependence on importation of fossil fuel, which has been escalating thru these years.
“This is where it matters the most. Environmental savings for the projected life of the Solar Power System has the potential to reduce CO2 released into the atmosphere by as much as 446,076 tons,“ said Narida.
For more information, call tel. no. (632) 8447112, mobile  no. +63917 5295023 or visit [email protected].