SOLAR ENERGY HARNESSED FOR PINEAPPLE FARMERS
Team Energy Foundation Inc. (Tefi) switched on yet another pilot project that combines solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation with a postharvest facility, this time for pineapple farmers in Negros Occidental.
With a capacity of four kilowatts, the project is part of the Productive Use of Renewable Energy (Pure), which is supported by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the European Union-Access to Sustainable Energy Program (Asep).
As the private sector partner, Tefi provided a grant amounting to P3.5 million to procure the solar PV system and the structure that houses the system. The fund also covered the cost of a decorticating machine as well as a Pure Center located in Sitio Alindahawan, Barangay Bago in the town of Don Salvador Benedicto.
Boosting income
The DOE and EU-Asep provided technical assistance via a feasibility study for the project, including the technical design, business model and social preparation activities.
Designed to increase the income of farmers and boost the local economy, the pilot project will provide energy to operate a decorticating machine that is used to produce high-quality, export-ready pineapple fiber.
Piña fiber is made out of pineapple leaves and is highly sought in the international textile market because it can be used for clothing materials or is a good alternative to leather. Don Salvador Benedicto, as the main source of pineapple fruits in Central Visayas, has over 2,000 hectares of pineapple fields.
Circular economy
Christoph Wagner, head of cooperation at the EU delegation to the Philippines, said this intervention would support the community in making use of pineapple leaves which were just thrown away in the past.
“This project is therefore a small contribution towards a more circular and green economy in the Philippines,” Wagner said. “I hope that this project will serve as a model for other similar projects in the future.”
Tefi also provided a solar-powered refrigerator for vaccines and medical supplies for the barangay health center of Barangay Pinowayan. The refrigerator can store vaccines and medicines that need to be kept at a temperature of negative 5 degrees Celsius.
Health workers at Pinowayan used to travel 15 to 20 kilometers to bring life-saving medicines and vaccines such as tetanus toxoid, antirabies vaccine, antibiotics and insulin to their patients in the barangay and nearby upland communities.