No lights = saving of 700 MW

CANDLELIT CELL. Female inmates at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology cell in Baguio City light several candles in pans filled with rose petals during Earth Hour. RICHARD BALONGLONG/INQUIRER NORTHERN LUZON

MANILA, Philippines—More than 700 megawatts (MW) were estimated to have been saved when residents and businesses in nearly 1,600 cities and towns around the country switched off their lights for an hour on the night of March 29.

But people in the Visayas appeared to be losing interest in Earth Hour.

A drop of just 26.4 MW in power demand was recorded in the Visayas grid during Earth Hour, the lowest over the past six years of observance of the switch-off, according to National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP).

The drop was much smaller than the 42.43 MW in 2013, 57 MW in 2012, 87 MW in 2011, 52 MW in 2010 and 40 MW in 2009.

Last year, the Philippines was given the title “Earth Hour Hero Country” after more than 15 million Filipinos took part in the lights switch-off.

With more participants expected to join the Earth Hour, the country would save at least 738 MW of electricity and reduce carbon dioxide emission by over 500 tons, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources earlier said.

Earth Hour, started in 2007, is a global advocacy to raise awareness of climate change and the need to protect the environment by limiting power consumption and carbon emission.

Every last Saturday of March, advocates voluntarily switch off nonessential lights and electric appliances for an hour.

Gregg Yan, Earth Hour Philippines communications manager, said the simultaneous lights-off hour that kicked off at 8:30 p.m. was just symbolic and was the beginning of a global pledge to minimize the use of energy.

It was also an outreach to the victims of the effects of climate change.

“We can all be heroes and go beyond the hour. Our pledge for environmental conservation does not end with Earth Hour,” Yan told the Inquirer.

Crowd-sourcing

He said Earth Hour on Saturday served as a crowd-sourcing platform for World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF) project to build 600 fiber glass boats for coastal communities ravaged last November by Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan).

Participants were urged to use their power to be “superheroes for the planet” by getting involved in the WWF’s Earth Hour Blue that entailed:

— Construction of boats for Philippine fisherfolk

— Provision of better equipment for Indonesian rangers to protect the forests and wildlife in Borneo and Sumatra

— Funding assistance for sustainable livelihood for Colombian indigenous communities to prevent deforestation in the Amazon

For its Earth Hour Blue project in the Philippines, WWF sought to raise funds to introduce fiber glass technology in coastal communities adversely affected by Yolanda to reduce the use of wood.

The funds will pay for molds, materials and the training of beneficiaries who will construct the boats, each at a cost of $400, themselves.

“Turning off your lights is a first step toward minimizing the use of energy. Switching off for Earth Hour is making a pledge to minimize the use of resources and to help save the planet,” Yan said.

In the Philippines, switch-off ceremonies were held on Saturday night at Eastwood City Open Park in Quezon City, SM Mall of Asia’s by-the-bay area in Pasay City and Ayala Triangle Park in Makati City, and in over a thousand other hubs across the country.

The NGCP Visayas System Operations recorded the drop in power demand from 8:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Cebu province (10.4 MW), Negros Island (10 MW) and Panay Island (6 MW).

No electricity

No drop was reported in Leyte-Samar and Bohol provinces, which were hit by Yolanda and an earthquake last year. Many areas in Leyte and Samar are still without electricity.

Visayan Electric Co. (Veco), which services the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Talisay, Naga and the towns of Liloan, Consolacion, Minglanilla and San Fernando, recorded a drop of 1.956 MW.

It was the smallest decline in Cebu over the past several years, said Theresa Gonzalez-Sederiosa, Veco corporate communications manager. She said the drop in 2013 was 11.016 MW, more than the 2.78 MW in 2012.

The drop slowed despite the participation of Cebu’s two biggest malls, commercial districts, barangay halls and resorts. Among these were Cebu Holdings Inc. (CHI) and subsidiary Cebu Property Ventures and Development Corp., owner and operator of  Cebu Park District, which refers to two major business and commercial hubs in the city— Cebu Business Park and Cebu IT Park.

In a statement, CHI said 6.907 MW were saved while 22,388 kilograms of carbon dioxide emission were reduced during the switch-off by establishments of selected lighting and electrical equipment in Cebu Business Park and Cebu IT Park. These included  Ayala Center Cebu, Cebu Holdings Center, Ayala Life FGU Center, City Sports Club Cebu, Park Towers 1 and 2, eOffice, The Walk and eBloc 1 and 2.

The city government organized a ceremonial switch-off at the north wing of SM City Cebu in the North Reclamation Area at 8:30 p.m.

At SM City Consolacion in Consolacion town in northern Cebu, about 500 solar-powered bottle lamps lighted the mall when the power was switched off at 8:30 p.m.

Promoted by MyShelter Foundation, the Liter of Light uses discarded plastic bottles and installs them as environmentally friendly, sustainable lighting in improvised housing and developing districts.

The 80 barangay (village) halls in the city also switched off their lights, said Philip Zafra, president of the Association of Barangay Councils.

Residents of subdivisions and condominiums managed and developed by Filinvest Land Inc. (FLI), as well as business ventures in Cebu under Filinvest Development Corp. (FDC) also participated in the global observance of Earth Hour.

Elson R. Homez, FLI head of property management in southern Philippines, placed the combined reduction in power consumption by the FLI/FDC group in Cebu at about 100 kilowatts.

Participating subdivisions included Corona del Mar in Talisay City, Seascapes Resort Town and Aldea del Sol in Mactan, One Oasis in Kasambagan and Amalfi Oasis and San Remo Oasis at South Road Properties in Cebu City.

The Quest Hotel in Cebu City and Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan of FDC subsidiary Filarchipelago Hospitality Inc. also supported Earth Hour.

In Iloilo City, commercial establishments, government offices and residents turned off most of their lights for 30 minutes on Saturday night.

About 200 environmental advocates gathered at the parking lot of SM City in Iloilo for a countdown before the lights were turned off or dimmed at the shopping mall.

A concert attended mostly by students was held after the switching off of lights.—With reports from Connie E. Fernandez and Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas

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