Renewable energy leader lights up El Nido residences

LET there be light… or to be more precise, solar light. Last month acciona.org, the corporate foundation unit of Spanish sustainable infrastructure and renewable energy leader ACCIONA and Ayala Foundation piloted the “Light at Home: El Nido” project that will bring access to affordable, sustainable and reliable electricity to more than 100 households, and about 10 community centers at Barangay Sibaltan, an off-grid area in the Palawan municipality.

José Gabriel Martín, acciona.org Foundation’s director, said the project is its first in Asia, in partnership with Ten Knots Phils., AIRSWIFT, AC Energy and Huawei, with the support of El Nido and Barangay Sibaltan local government units (LGUS).

Martin pointed out that “Light at Home…” will provide households and community centers with 100-percent clean electric energy through solar-home systems. Before that, the households and centers were yet to be connected to the main power grids, as they were dependent on diesel generators and oil lamps for electricity. Even those with smaller solar equipment still find them insufficient to cover their daily requirements.

The director said that their plight would change, as the new solar home systems to be turned over under the project would enable communitymembers to carry out their educational, productive, domestic or recreational activities more efficiently, reduce their energy expenditure, and avoid the emission of combustion smoke indoors and outdoors. These, he said, will favor their social, economic, and environmental development.

“Luz en Casa, which means ‘Light at Home,’ is the most important acciona.org initiative, having benefited tens of thousands of people, mainly in Latin America, in the last 13 years,” Martin explained. “We are proud to launch it in the Philippines.”

Spanish ambassador to the Philippines Miguel Utray, Ayala Foundation Inc.’s senior director for Social Development Joanna Duarte, ACCIONA’S Regional Director Ruben Camba and LGU officials also attended the inauguration ceremony.

In the Philippines, ACCIONA has established a reputation for pioneering sustainable water treatment and transportation infrastructure. Since its 2016 market entry, the company has been involved in landmark projects, which include the Putatan II and the Laguna Lake drinking watertreatment plants in Muntinlupa City, the Cebu-cordova Link Expressway cable-stayed bridge, and the Malolosclark Railway Line.