Consumers encouraged to invest in solar energy

by Malou M. Mozo
June 24, 2014

Cebu City,Cebu – The Visayan Electric Company (Veco), the second largest power distributor in the country, announced yesterday some 31 interested applications for its “Veco Solar” campaign urging consumers to invest in solar power generation and reduce power use at home.

“The response we got from our consumers, especially residential consumers, is overwhelming,” said Veco Energy Efficiency Specialist Richard Alfafara in an interview with Manila Bulletin yesterday during the sidelines of the Cebu Unplugged: Energy Forum hosted by the company at SM City Cebu.

ENERGY FORUM – Visayan Electric Company (Veco) Chief Operating Officer Sebastian Lacson (right) chats with Department of Energy Undersecretary Raul Aguilos during the Veco-sponsored Cebu Unplugged Forum at SM City Cebu. Among others, the forum was held to teach private consumers how to save energy. (Cheryl |Balciantos)

Veco is the first distribution utility in the country to promote the use of solar energy by its customers through their “Green Energy for a Brighter Future” campaign. Veco Solar has the objective of providing government a helping hand in efforts to protect the environment from pollution.

The company has formed a strategic partnership with Enfinity, the sixth largest developer of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in the world and a market leader in Europe.

In yesterday’s forum, Veco chief operating officer Sebastian Lacson urged customers to invest in solar power generation to reduce power consumption at home.

“Going solar means not only helping protect the environment but also saving money on electricity bills,” he said, explaining how the Veco Solar program works.

Solar PV panels will be installed in a house’s roof where free energy from the sun is turned into direct current electricity and then carried to a wiring through an inverter and converted to alternating current electricity used at home.

Solar energy produced during the day is used to power appliances, and at night when the system is not producing energy, Veco supplies electricity the normal way. A bidirectional meter records not only the total electricity consumed but also the total electricity produced by the panels.

Lacson said a consumer investing in solar energy will become a power producer with a maximum limit of 1,000 watts. If the consumer uses less than the maximum limit, Veco will pay for the difference.

A typical one-kilowatt peak PV system installation produces 112.5 kilowatt-hours (kWh) or about P1,300 in electricity cost. “If a regular household consumes an average of 200 kWh, which is about P2,400, it would be able to save an average of P1,100 in electricity bill if an investment is made in solar energy,” Alfafara further explained.

http://www.mb.com.ph/consumers-encouraged-to-invest-in-solar-energy/

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email us if interested: inquiry@eastgreenfields.com