SBMA offices shift to solar power systems to save on electricity cost

Solar panels are being installed at the rooftop of Bldg. 229 or the administration building of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority. (Photo courtesy of SBMA)

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Some offices under the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) have started shifting to renewable energy to save on power costs as part of its effort to attain sustainable development.

In a statement on Tuesday (May 25), SBMA Chair and Administrator Wilma Eisma said two main office buildings of the agency were the latest to use the “Grid-Tied Solar Power System” that could slash electricity consumption by as much as 39 percent.

“SBMA is going green—which is not only good for the environment but is even economically inevitable because that’s the way things are shaping up. You either shift to renewables or become inefficient and less competitive,” Eisma said.

She said after installing the solar power systems at buildings 229 and 255, they would also energize the Remy Field sports complex using similar solar power system upgrades.

The agency piloted the technology at the SBMA Regulatory Building two years ago.

Eisma said the new project at Buildings 229 and 255 will produce about 90 kilowatts-peak (kWp), which is the rate at which a photovoltaic or solar power system can generate energy at peak performance.

The project contractor, Kennedy Energy and Development Corp., has just finished tapping the array of photovoltaic sources on top of the two buildings to existing main distribution panels, Eisma said.

“With these solar power sources, we expect not only to save on electricity billings but also to sell some of the excess power that we can export back to the grid,” she said.

According to Eisma, their computations place savings in the vicinity of P807,476 each year for Building 255, with close to 39 percent reduction of electric consumption.

She said savings for Building 229 would be around P415,970 per year, with about a 12 percent reduction of electricity use.

According to Engr. Tony Rafanan of the SBMA Telecommunications Department, which is in charge of the project, the installation of solar power systems would cost an average of P6 million per building, and in the case of Remy Field may reach P19 million.

However, he said each building installed with the solar power system could generate savings ranging from P60,000 to P120,000 a month, depending on the generated power of the system.

“The higher the generated power would be, the bigger the savings,” Rafanan said.

The Grid-Tied Solar Power System drastically reduces electricity bill, and during weekends will sell excess energy back to the grid via net metering, he explained.

/MUF