BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan announced to energy stakeholders that the local government will be pilot testing solar power panels in its various structures and facilities as part of efforts to lessen government expenses on power consumption.
Speaking before the 3-day Seminar-Workshop in Mainstreaming Energy efficiency and Conservation to Local Government Units spearheaded by the energy department here, Domogan revealed the local government is in the process of bidding out a P33-million solar power project to install solar power panels within the city-owned swimming pool area to help heat up the pool for trainings and various local, national, regional and international sports competitions.
Further, he added the roofing of the proposed 8-storey planned multi-level parking facility to be constructed in the vacant lot near the Baguio fire department will be made up of solar power panels as part of all the city government’s energy-saving initiatives.
“We want to pilot-test solar power in the local government structures to convince people on the use of renewable energy not only for their own consumption but also for the needs of their businesses and empower them to use environmentally-friendly renewable energy,” Domogan stressed.
The local chief executive admitted that the installation of solar power panels to maximize the heat of the sun to produce power is expensive but the local government needs to show a concrete successful solar power project to help convince more people to embrace the idea of using solar power to lessen personal and corporate expenditures on power consumption.
According to him, the installation of solar power in the swimming pool area to help heat up the city’s Olympic-sized swimming pool had been subjected to studies by various proponents of the solar power project and local officials remain optimistic on the success of the project.
He further reported that plans for the 8-storey structure in the vacant lot near the Baguio fire department will incorporate installing solar power panels in the roofing to maximize the potentials of solar to produce power for the offices within the building as another energy-saving measure and showcase solar power use right at the heart of the city.
Renewable energy experts are advocating for the use of alternative sources of power for the energy requirements and lessen dependence on fossil fuel because of its perceived harmful effects to the state of the environment unlike renewable energy which are considered clean energy sources. Domogan said the local government supports the aggressive campaign of the energy department in empowering residents to maximize the utilization of renewable sources of power in their places for energy-efficient consumption and other purposes. By Dexter A. See
