Iligan City hospital run by nuns turns to solar power
The energy-generating roof of Iligan City’s Mercy Community Hospital. Photo courtesy of Greenergy Solar PH
ILIGAN CITY — The 75-bed Mercy Community Hospital in this city, which is run by the Catholic congregation Sisters of Mercy, has turned to solar power to save on energy costs and begin to lower its carbon footprint.
On April 26, Greenergy Solar PH commissioned the Level 2 hospital’s 201-kilowatt on-grid solar energy system, which is expected to lower its energy cost by up to 45 percent.
Sr. Julpha Meron, the hospital’s administrator, said the cost savings would help shore up their operating income, which is plowed back “to serving our poor patients.”
“Solar energy is low cost and helps us clean the environment so that the planet will be more livable by the next generation,” said Meron.
Engineer Cerael D. Donggay, Greenergy founder and chief executive officer, said the hospital’s transition to clean and renewable energy is a significant local milestone in the drive by environmentalists to bring down carbon emission.
“As the country heats up due to the overuse of fossil fuel, it is time to hire the sun for our power needs,” Donggay said.
“Avoided CO2 (carbon dioxide) emission is important in mitigating the impact of climate change that is now threatening all living things on the planet,” he explained.
According to Donggay, the solar panels installed at the hospital are built to last 25 years, and Greenergy provides a 15-year warranty for the panels and a 10-year warranty for the premium inverters.
Ryan D. Rosauro, Inquirer Mindanao
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