Typhoon highlights need for emergency solar power in homes

MANILA, Philippines - Power outages in times of calamities should no longer be a problem.

Francisco Pagayon, chairman of the Filipino Inventors Society Producers Cooperative (FISPC), said the blackout across large swaths of Luzon and the Visayas from Tuesday night until Wednesday due to Typhoon Glenda highlights the need for solar-powered emergency lighting systems and charging stations.

“It’s a necessity especially in times of calamities. Families should have solar-powered home systems and LGUs (local government units) should make sure they have solar-powered light and charging systems in evacuation centers in barangays or municipal and city halls,” he told The STAR.

Pagayon, along with FISPC member-inventor Francis Garcia, have developed a solar power home electricity kit that could light up a household, power a small television and an electric fan and charge cell phones, laptop computers and two-way radios.

He said the solar kits are on display at the FISPC head office and showroom at the Delta Building at the corner of Quezon Avenue and West Avenue in Quezon City.

The sets offer 10 watts, 30 watts and 50 watts with a price range of P13,000 to P30,000.