Wow. Suddenly, the Philippines is making a record in generating solar energy like in this case of a local mall being the largest to use solar energy for its needs. Let’s see if we can help to do more in order to reduce the amount of energy supply shortage expected next year. And maybe even further reduce the need of more coal plants that will pollute the environment and contribute to climate change.
From BusinessWorld Philippines
November 20, 2014
SM City North Edsa becomes largest mall to tap power from the sun SM CITY North EDSA, one of the country’s largest shopping malls, will soon be partly powered by renewable energy, with inauguration of a 1.5-megawatt (MW) solar facility at the mall’s rooftop set for Nov. 24. Homegrown solar rooftop maker Solar Philippines Commercial Rooftop Projects, Inc., which was tapped by tycoon Henry Sy’s SM group for the project, made the announcement yesterday. SM City North EDSA will be the Sy family’s first mall in the Philippines, and the second SM mall after SM City Xiamen in Fujian, China, to use solar power for its operations. That mall in China has a 1.1-MW rooftop project that was launched in July last year. Solar Philippines claimed that SM City North EDSA will be the world’s largest solar-powered mall, with 5,760 solar panels and 60 inverters covering a 12,000-square-meter parking building. “The 1.5 MW plant will be able to augment the mall’s power requirements, or the equivalent of 2,000 Filipino homes,” the company said in a statement. The facility is expected to operate for over 25 years and offset some 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide. Leandro L. Leviste, president of Solar Philippines, said in the statement that the latest project is a testament to the synergy that exists between business and environment. “Solar has gained the reputation of being expensive, not because of the technology, but because previous efforts were too small to benefit from economies of scale,” Mr. Leviste said. “By building the country’s largest projects, we’ve become the first local company to make solar cost-competitive with fossil fuel,” he added. Solar Philippines’ maiden facility — a 700-kilowatt solar rooftop inaugurated last September — is in Central Mall in Biñan, Laguna. The company said it is building similar facilities at Robinsons Place Palawan and CityMall in Roxas City. Solar Philippines is a local company that finances solar installations at zero upfront costs. The company designs, engineers, constructs, installs and maintains large-scale rooftop projects. — Claire-Ann Marie C. Feliciano Article location : http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Corporate&title=SM City North Edsa becomes largest mall to tap power from the sun&id=98298
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