BAGUIO CITY– The two major water reservoirs in Benguet are being eyed for the possibility of having floating solar power plants there, according to lawyer Mike Hosillos, SN Aboitiz Power vice president for corporate affairs.
“If it is adaptable in Magat, we will probably explore the same solar floating arrangements,” Hosillos said. He added that they need to study the availability of the sun, with both dams located on the mountains of Benguet where there are constant fog and cloudy skies.
Last June 27, SN Aboitiz switched on a 200-kilowatt floating solar power system in Magat dam, whose power generation is currently being used to electrify the operation of the plant.
It will be on a 10-month to one-year testing stage to find out its capacity to withstand strong wind and rain as well as the movement of water where it is floating. If found feasible, the company will also look at placing the same in Binga and Ambuklao.
“We can replicate this and scale this up for our country and our fellow Filipinos,” said Erramon Aboitiz, president, and chief executive officer of Aboitiz power, vowing to continue bringing innovative power solutions.
“This is the first non-hydro project of SNAP, that means there is more to come,” he said.** PNA
