The Biggest Solar Power Farm in The Philippines


 By: Joshua Carl Abalorio


Introduction

Large-scale photovoltaic systems called solar farms are used to generate power from sunshine. A whole village can be powered by them, and they are frequently constructed in isolated or rural places. As a result of its promise to lower electricity costs, lessen reliance on fossil fuels, and offer a source of renewable energy, solar farms are growing in popularity. With the ability to supply clean and dependable energy to millions of people worldwide, solar farms are a key component of the world's energy mix. [1,2]

The Philippines is home to the largest solar power farm in Southeast Asia which is the Cadiz Solar Power Plant. The solar power farm, located in the province of Negros Occidental, is capable of producing up to 300 megawatts of solar energy. [3] This is enough to power over 300,000 households in the Philippines. The solar farm was built by a consortium of companies, including the Philippine Solar Power Corporation (PSPC) and the Negros Occidental Renewable Energy Corporation (NOREC). [4]


Construction

Almost 1 million solar panels are used in the solar farm, which has a surface area of more than 1,000 hectares. According to estimates, the solar farm will be able to supply the Philippines with up to 1.2 million homes with electricity. Up to 500,000 tons less carbon dioxide is estimated to be emitted annually thanks to the solar farm. [5,4].

 The assistance of the Philippine government and the Department of Energy allowed for the building of the solar farm (DOE). To assist in funding, the project, the DOE gave a loan of P2.5 billion. [4] The total amount of cost in the construction of the Solar Farm is About 10 billion pesos. [8]

History

The plant's construction started in July 2015, and 2,500 Negros people were employed at that time. 500 people were hired to run the factory. [5] The Singapore-based Equis Funds Group hired Helios Solar Energy Corp., a partnership between the Soleq Solar Co. and Gregorio Araneta Inc. of Thailand, to build the Cadiz facility. [6,7]

The unveiling of the solar project was originally scheduled for February 19, 2016, but it was postponed. President Benigno Aquino III was invited to the ceremony but turned it down, citing a packed schedule. [8]

Currently

The farm is operating at 80% efficiency today despite the bad weather. It supplies a sizable portion of the province's average 200 MW power consumption since it became fully running. One of the national renewable energy initiatives is the "perfectly situated P200 million solar farm near Cadiz. Other people were in Loco’s and Leyte. [9]

 

REFERENCES

1. Helman, U. (2014, June 23). Economic and reliability benefits of large-scale solar plants. Renewable Energy Integration. Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://tinyurl.com/2epy5n3z

2. REPSOL. (2023, February 13). What is a solar power plant? how it works and types. REPSOL. Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://tinyurl.com/ywvme8tx

3. Praiwan, Y. (2018, August 18). B.Grimm buys solar PV projects. https://www.bangkokpost.com. Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://tinyurl.com/2zctncha

4. DOE. (2022, December 13). Energy Investment Forum. Department of Energy Philippines. Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://tinyurl.com/yc22sypr

5. Gomez, C. P. (2016, February 5). Solar Farm to generate more power for Visayas. INQUIRER.net. Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://tinyurl.com/4k7ya94z

6. Yap, C. (2015, July 2). Soleq, Araneta Build 130 megawatts of solar farms in Philippines. Bloomberg.com. Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://tinyurl.com/8uad37wm

7. Noda, T. S. (2016, March 5). Singapore's EQUIS Fund Opens SE Asia's largest solar project in Philippines. DealStreetAsia. Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://tinyurl.com/2ty5dfcj

8. SUNSTAR. (2016, February 12). Unveiling of P10-B solar plant set March 3. SUNSTAR. Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://tinyurl.com/2u3vr4zt

9. Espina, M. P. (2016, March 3). Southeast Asia's biggest solar farm opens in Negros Occidental. RAPPLER. Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://tinyurl.com/bddyfma6

Image Sources

Fig 1: The Cadiz Solar Power Plant, located in Negros Occidental ( Source: https://tinyurl.com/SwirlingOverCoffee

Fig 2: The Solar Panels in Cadiz Solar Power Plant, ( Source: https://tinyurl.com/EmbassyofFranceinManila)


 

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