|
By Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo, Reporter
STATE-OWNED Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC)
bought solar power installations from Shell for the government’s
rural electrification program.
Antonio Cailao, PNOC president, said the company
bought a solar project for P17.2 million aimed at increasing its
installations in off-grid areas to 15,000 households.
“Solar home panels are just relatively small,
but at least households get to have light at night. We bought
Shell’s entire operation so that now we can provide electricity to
off-grid areas,” he said.
Solar power is a renewable form of energy that
taps the sun’s rays for electricity. But despite its benefits to
the environment and flexibility, solar power is the most expensive
source of electricity.
Data from the Department of Energy showed that
as of last year, solar power needs $10,400, $10,500 and $5,000 per
kilowatt in investments for solar home systems, centralized off-grid
systems and grid connected installations, respectively.
Geothermal, mini-hydro and wind power cost only
$2,000 per kilowatt to put up while conventional energy sources such
as oil-based plants cost only $991 per kilowatt in investments.
Because of its prohibitive cost, Cailao said
that PNOC plans to source low-cost solar home systems like the ones
they acquired from Shell that came at a “very good price” for
three million households across the country without electricity.
Aside from this, the state-oil company is
looking to subsidize households that will benefit from PNOC’s
solar installations, which it plans to double in the future.
“We want it subsidized because households may
not be able to afford the P70,000 cost per unit,” Cailao said.
|
