Around P3 million worth of solar panels were installed at the municipal hall in San Remigio town , northern Cebu, to reduce the electricity consumption of the different offices there. /Photo from the Municipality of San Remigio Facebook Page
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The municipality of San Remigio in northern Cebu has taken a step towards use of sustainable and cheaper energy.
San Remigio, a third class municipality located 91.5 kilometers north of Cebu City, has installed P3 million worth of solar panels at the roof of the municipal hall to provide an alternative power source to the different offices there.
Mayor Mariano Martinez said they intend to have their solar panels fully operational in two weeks.
He said that they are now in the process of finalizing with the Cebu Electric Cooperative (Cebeco), their town’s power provider, the requirements for the operation of their solar panels.
Martinez said that they will be implementing a net metering scheme with Cebeco wherein their lined connection provided for by the power supplier will not be cut. He said that Cebeco will continue to augment the supply that they will now get mainly from their solar panels.
“We are working out with Cebeco kay mag net metering mi unya apparently naa man diay gamay nga requirements nga kinahanglan i-comply,” Martinez said in a phone interview on Sunday, June 23.
(We are trying to work out a net metering scheme with Cebeco but we were apparently told that there are requirements to be complied with.)
“What will happen is that if we are using the power from the solar (panels), dili motuyok ang (Cebeco) meter. During Saturdays and Sundays when excess ang power sa solar, mobali ang tuyok sa meter. It means nga Cebeco will be buying electricity from us during that time,” said Martinez.
(What will happen is that if we are using power generated by our solar panels, our Cebeco meter will cease to function. When we generate excess solar power on Saturdays and Sundays, our meters will make a reverse turn. This means that Cebeco will be the one buying electricity from us during these days.)
The town’s solar panels can produce an average of 26 kilowatts per day, Martinez said./dcb