Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, who led the ceremonial switch-on of the solar power system at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) Wednesday afternoon, Dec 18, said “it is a first step in making Bacolod a renewable energy power house”.
The 400 kilowatts solar system that cost about P20 million will enable the BCGC to save from P1 million to P1.5 million a month in electricity cost, he said
The BCGC electric cost has been from P2 to 3 million a month, he said.
In about two years the city government will save enough to cover the cost of the BCGC solar power system, he said.
“This is just the first, there are several other projects in the pipeline,” he said.
He said the goal is to have all the government buildings in Bacolod go solar.
Bacolod’s renewable energy transformation will not just be in electricity for buildings, it will also be for public transportation with three green routes initially proposed, and for other industries, he said.
Frederic Tesfay, project head of GIZ Urban Act Project and Renewable Projects funded by the German government, said the BCGC solar power system is not just a switching on of lights, “Bacolod is switching on opportunity, progress and independence for the people of the city”.
“This project is proof that Bacolod leads the way in innovation“, Tesfay said in his keynote speech at the switch-on rites.
By investing in renewables, Bacolod can unlock job creation, spur economic growth with green jobs, and secure energy security for its people, he said.
Bacolod Councilor Kalaw Puentevella, chairman of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Energy, lauded the mayor for his push towards renewable energy in Bacolod.*