THE third class town of Palauan in Occidental Mindoro, part of the once dubbed brownout capital of the country, has been declared completely free of this—residents thank Solar Philippines.
The first Filipino company to win Power Company of the Year at the Asian Power Awards, also known in the region as “the Oscars of the power industry,” recently completed the largest solar-battery micro-grid and launched the “Solar Para Sa Bayan.”
In a statement, the firm said this is an initiative by its founder Leandro Leviste “to bring cheaper, more reliable power to areas poorly served by utilities, in support of the Duterte administration's aim to end energy poverty by 2022.”
Palauan Mayor Carl Pangilinan said since Solar Philippines began operations in December 2017, residents of the northwestern tip of Mindoro had enjoyed their first ever Christmas “without brownouts and students can now study at night and use computers at school.”
At the same time, Pangilinan said an ice plant was now being planned to support Mindoro fishermen.
Apart from power, Solar Philippines is serving Palauan at 50 percent lower cost than that made by the National Powert Corp., which spends up to P20 billion a year from the Universal Charge for Missionary Electrification subsidy funded by Filipino consumers.