CLARK SOLAR FACILITY
By Anton Antonio
October 15, 2015
Green and renewable energy sources are the thing of the
future and we should be thankful that the Philippine government welcomes this
worldview. Encouraging solar energy
initiatives has become more pronounced lately.
One such project is the proposed Clark solar facility in Angeles City,
Pampanga. Please read…
“ASIAN ENERGY GROUP INVESTING P1B FOR CLARK SOLAR FACILITY
By Richmond S. Mercurio
July 24, 2015
MANILA, Philippines – Asian renewable energy group SSR
C-Solar Power Inc. is investing P1 billion to power the masterplanned Clark
Green City. SSR signed on Wednesday a
25-year lease agreement with state-owned Bases Conversion and Development
Authority (BCDA) for a 25-hectare parcel of land within Clark Green City. BCDA said the lease agreement is renewable
for another 25 years. SSR will use the
leased property to develop a solar farm which will serve as an alternative
source of renewable energy in a 9,250-hectare metropolis located at the Clark
Special Economic Zone. SSR intends to
initially install panels that will generate a target output of 20 megawatts
(MW) which is expected to supply electricity to at least 10,000 households. Construction of the solar farm is expected to
begin in the last quarter of this year, BCDA said. Once completed, the solar farm will be the
second largest solar farm in the country next to the 50-MW solar farm project
in Calatagan, Batangas. “Clark Green
City will lead the way in providing clean, sustainable power,” said Arrey
Perez, BCDA manager for business development, adding that the hosting renewable
solar power facilities is just one of the many environmental-friendly features
of the Green City. Aside from SSR’s
20-MW solar farm, Perez said another 100-MW solar energy contract is in the
works in Clark Green City. BCDA
president and chief executive officer Arnel Paciano Casanova said solar power
has emerged as a viable alternative which will address major power concerns
such as supply, spending and environmental impact. “We want to create a Green City that is
unique using solar power as an alternative source of energy. This partnership will be nurtured over the
years. Together, we will move forwards
with critical infrastructure that could define the identity of the modern and
sustainable city for our country,” Casanova said. He added the successful number of solar
panels to be installed and the corresponding increase in MW will generate
enough energy to meet the power requirements of a substantial number of residences
in the Green City. Clark Green City is a
flagship project of the BCDA under the administration of President Aquino and
is eyed as the country’s first smart, green and disaster-resilient metropolis
when it breaks ground next year. The
Green City was patterned after Songdo, South Korea’s Green City, which features
sustainable buildings and efficient energy sources, and also fashioned out of
Singapore’s City in a Garden masterplan where communities are engaged and
inspired to sustain a greener environment.”
There is no debate on the environmental wisdom of solar
energy. But there is this nagging
question on the propriety of building a Green City in the Clark area. It should be noted that when Mt. Pinatubo
erupted in 1990, the U.S. Defense Department chose to abandon Clark Air Base
and turn the entire facility over to the Philippine government. The reason was simple: (1) It would be
exorbitantly expensive to rehabilitate the facility; (2) Mt. Pinatubo erupting
in the near or far future cannot be ascertained; and, (3) Another eruption will
render the entire area a wasteland again.
The Clark Green City, located in the immediate periphery of the Mt.
Pinatubo “danger zone” may not be a good “long-term” idea… if the American
government does not want to invest in rehabilitation, why should we pursue
long-term development programs which would put both lives and property at
risk. If the eventuality of another
eruption from Mt. Pinatubo comes to pass, what would happen to the Clark solar
facility?
Thoughts to
promote positive action…
(Please
visit, like and share Pro EARTH Crusaders on Facebook or follow me at http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/
and http://twitter.com/EarthCrusader/)
REFERENCE:
www.philstar.com,
(2015). “Asian Energy Group Investing P1B for Clark Solar Facility”. Retrieved on October 15, 2015 from http://www.philstar.com/business/2015/07/24/1480191/asian-energy-group-investing-p1-b-clark-solar-facility
No comments:
Post a Comment