“This concept will solve a lot of problems,” Agriculture Secretary Manny F. Piñol declared about the establishment of floating solar technology in isolated fishing communities in the Philippines.
Secretary Piñol and Department of Agriculture (DA) officials met with the SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP) Group representatives on July 8, 2019 to discuss the potentials of the technology to serve and modernize the country’s agriculture and fisheries sector.
SNAP-Magat AVP and Plant Manager Willy Ferrer presented the features of the floating solar technology also known as floating photovoltaic and how it was applied in the Magat Reservoir pilot project.
The technology uses renewable energy and it has solar panels placed on top of a structure that floats on water. According to Ferrer, the technology is gaining popularity worldwide as it addresses space limitations while providing energy requirements.
“It is something that excites me, because it’s a multipurpose project,” Piñol said.
He explained that the technology could be explored to serve as “payao” or fish attracting device to increase the catch. He added that it could generate power in remote villages to address the fisher folk’s need for ice-making equipment and cold storage facilities that would enable them to bring their catch to the market.
Piñol stated, “If we can do this, we will be revolutionizing the fisheries sector of the country.”
He added that the floating solar technology does not require sacrificing valuable land resources.
The agri chief instructed Undersecretary for Fisheries and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources National Director Eduardo Gongona to form a technical team that will coordinate with the SNAP Group and schedule an urgent site inspection.
With the unanimous decision of the DA officials, the pilot floating solar technology project of the department will be established in the Municipality of Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi, which is located at the farthest south of the country.
Remote and under-served island provinces such as Siquijor, Basilan, and Sulu will be prioritized in the proposed project. ### (Gumamela Celes Bejarin, DA-AFID)
