Firm eyes Solar-powered building to help inspire shift to clean energy

SOLAR-POWERED BUILDING. Former chief justice Reynato Puno (2nd from left), chairman of GenWATT Energy Solutions, leads the inauguration and ceremonial switch-on of the 50-kW on-grid solar energy system on the building of the St. Martin of Tours Credit and Development Cooperative (SMTCDC) in Barangay Bunlo, Bocaue, Bulacan on Saturday (Aug. 6, 2022). The SMTCDC is the first cooperative in Bulacan to avail of renewable and sustainable energy sources. (Photo by Manny Balbin)

BOCAUE, Bulacan — Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno said the recent installation of a 50-kilowatt (kW) on-grid solar energy system at the office of a church-based credit cooperative here could be the first step to the switch to renewable energy for cost savings and a cleaner community in the province of Bulacan.

Puno, who chairs the GenWATT Energy Solutions board, led the inauguration and ceremonial switch-on of the 50-kW on-grid solar energy system on the building of the St. Martin of Tours Credit and Development Cooperative (SMTCDC) in Barangay Bunlo, Bocaue, Bulacan during the weekkend.

The SMTCDC is the first cooperative in Bulacan to avail of renewable and sustainable solar energy sources program. GenWATT chief executive officer, Wendell R. Tamayo, said the system, which has a 50-kW inverter with 40-kW solar panels installed on the building’s roof, could produce 180 kW to 200 kW of electricity on a normal sunny day, covering 60-80 percent of the building’s requirements during office hours.

Tamayo said the system “has the potential to save P45,000 to P70,000 in electricity bills every month at a price of P11 per kilowatt hour, and over its 25-year guaranteed production efficiency of the solar panels, it is projected to generate 1,500 megawatts of electricity.”

SMTCDC chairman Danilo D. Esteban agreed and said the solar energy system could bring great savings to their cooperative.

Former SC Chief Justice Puno said the solar energy system could help address high electricity bills. He expressed hope that other cooperatives and local government units would likewise start using renewable energy.

In his keynote message during the inaugural, Puno daid the initiative “undertaken by St. Martin of Tours Credit and Development Cooperative, is hopefully the beginning of a shift of other cooperatives here in Bulacan and also by other local government units to avail of renewable and sustainable energy sources.”

GenWatt Energy Solutions is a Filipino firm dedicated to renewable solar energy solutions. It specializes in the design, installation, commissioning, and after-sales services of solar energy systems for households and micro, small, and medium enterprises, Tamayo explained.