ON August 25 Ambassador of Japan Kazuhiko Koshikawa participated in the online inauguration ceremony for the 10-kW Magnus Vertical Axis Wind Turbine installed in Basco, Batanes by Challenergy, a Japanese startup company based in Tokyo.
Challenergy’s Founder-CEO Atsushi Shimizu and Philippine CEO Paul Michael Robles, Governor Marilou Cayco of Batanes, and Mayor Demetrius Paul Narag of Basco attended the live ceremony held in Batan Island.
The newly installed system was made possible with funding support from the government of Japan, as Challenergy started working on the project in 2019. Despite challenges brought by the pandemic, construction works were completed from April to August of this year.
According to the Japanese embassy, Challenergy’s new wind turbine operates even in strong winds, and promises a new energy opportunity for places with high-wind potential, but hindered by the risk of typhoons.
It said the microgrid system utilizing the technology is expected to contribute to the improvement of energy access even during typhoons, and for the betterment of Filipinos’ livelihood.