BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Ilocos Norte pushes more into "green" technology as six buildings under the stewardship of the provincial government are set to be installed with solar panels and battery storage to decrease electricity consumption.
These buildings —Provincial Capitol Building, Dap-ayan Commercial Building, Governor Roque B. Ablan Sr. Memorial Hospital; and Bangui, Dingras, and Marcos District Hospitals—will scale up the utilization of “clean” energy in Ilocos Norte.
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The total cost for this installation project is estimated to reach 45 million pesos, with a capacity of 470 kilowatts at its peak of operation.
Gov. Matthew Marcos Manotoc had met with the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Philippine National Oil Corporation Pedro Lite for the presentation of plans and financial study of the Solar Photovoltaic Installation project.
Lawyer Nikki Pilar, National Electrification Administration Representative to Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative Board and concurrent chief of the provincial government’s Metro Ilocos Norte Council cited a study by the PNOC that the installation of solar panels on government buildings will result to a decrease in the electricity charges by up to 8.5 million pesos every year.
This will allow the provincial government the opportunity to allocate the excess funds to other vital programs, Pilar said.
Earlier, Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos filed the Solar Energy in National Government Offices bill that is seen to cement Gov. Marcos' initiative.
Rep. Marcos' measure proposes that solar energy systems be established to initially supply at least ten percent of the electric power requirements of the government agencies in their respective buildings or offices for the first year after the effectivity of the Act.
Ilocos Norte is regarded as the “Renewable Energy Capital of Southeast Asia.” It is home to both the first, and the biggest wind farms in the region, the Bangui Windmills and the Burgos Windfarm.