SENATE President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto is batting for the installation of solar panels in state-owned buildings to reduce government’s P24-billion annual power bill.
In a statement, Recto on Wednesday noted that government buildings “consume at least P24 billion worth of electricity a year,” adding that the amount is “growing by P1 billion annually.”
This, Recto said, prompted him to file a bill calling for the installation of solar power systems in public buildings.
He reported that
the government’s electric bill reached P24 billion in 2017, of which P11.4
billion was incurred by national
government agencies while P12.6 billion was racked up by local governments.
“To compare, national agencies and local governments paid a total of P19.5 billion in 2012, which means that their total electric bill rose by almost a quarter in five years,” the senator said, adding: “If your monthly electric bill is P2 billion, you must find a way to reduce this.”
The senator suggested that “tapping the sun for electricity in a tropical country is good economics, good for the environment and good for education” adding that “a 5-percent drop in the electric bill will result in P1.2 billion savings annually, an amount that can build more than 1,000 classrooms.” At the same time, Recto harped on solar energy’s green credentials, explaining that “it does not generate greenhouse gases such as carbon, nor emit particulates that are the bane of fossil fuels.”
Solar in schools
Recto recommended installing solar panels in public schools, saying this “will not only provide power to classrooms, but also skills and training to senior high-school students who are enrolled in the technical-vocational track, as well.”
The senator cited reports that 4,000 schools are energy-starved largely because they are far from power grids.
He added that due to the advent of computerization and the expansion of night classes in urban schools, the Department of Education’s electricity bill soared by 137 percent between 2012 and 2017, from P951 million to almost P2.3 billion.
National government hospitals have also seen their power consumption spike by 50 percent between 2012 and 2017, when they paid almost P1.2 billion.
Recto said the installation of solar power systems on the roof of school buildings, grounds of military camps, state college campuses, “is not rocket science as both the technology and price have been democratized.”
The senator stressed “it is a complementary and supplementary source. The building is still connected to the grid.”
Recto pointed out that “during calamities when the grid is down, it can independently generate electricity—maybe not enough to meet the demand of a building, but having little is better than none at all.”
The senator’s proposed “Solar Energy in National Government Offices Act” provides the mechanism for an efficient, cost-effective and sustainable supply of power from solar energy systems in the bureaucracy. It also sets a timetable for the minimum share of solar power in government electricity consumption, setting an ambitious 10 percent during the pilot phase.
He added that another benefit of having solar panels in government properties “and seeing them work is that they will serve as demonstration units that will show the public that this clean and cheap source of power is viable.”
Image credits: Nonie Reyes