The installation of solar panels on the roof of the Negros Occidental Capitol in Bacolod City is expected to be completed by the end of August.
These panels will supply the Capitol with green energy at a fixed rate of ₱6.90 per kilowatt-hour for the next 15 years, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Wednesday, August 20.
This rate is a significant savings, as Negros Electric and Power Corp. currently sells electricity to its Central Negros customers at ₱11.50 per kilowatt-hour, he said.
The Public Private Partnership project comes at no cost to the provincial government, as WeGen Energy Philippines Inc. is handling the installation and will sell the power to the province, Diaz said.
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson signed the agreement for a 1,270kW rooftop solar project for six provincial government buildings on April 28.
Following the completion at the Capitol, solar panels will also be installed on other provincial government buildings, including the Food Terminal Market Occidental Negros, the Negros First Cyber Centre, and Negros Residences in Bacolod City, Diaz said.
This will be followed by the installation of solar panels on the Negros Occidental provincial government owned hospitals, Diaz added.
Diaz said that the Mambukal Mountain Resort and Wildlife Sanctuary in Murcia is not suitable for solar panels because the rooftops are blocked by trees. Instead, the province is exploring hydropower for that location, he added.*