By Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman, Reporter
Solar energy is expensive, unreliable, impractical, and uneconomic. These are some of the myths on solar power that Greenpeace wants to bust with its Solar Rooftop Challenge campaign, launched on June 15, which aims to educate and encourage society to ditch coal and switch to harnessing the power of the sun.
The campaign strategy includes a series of online videos starring TV personality Yam Concepcion as “Juana Solar” who debunks common misconceptions on solar power. Other celebrity advocates include Dingdong Dantes, Saab Magalona, Jasmine Curtis, Illac Diaz, and Jun Sabayton.
The video campaign also features successful stories of households, offices, and establishments that have installed rooftop solar panels, including a solar powered church in Atimonan, Quezon. All the videos are on view on Greenpeace social media accounts.
“The stories will show energy independence through solar energy. We will break the myths surrounding renewable energy and create a powerful testament on its practicality, cost effectiveness, and reliability to propel the Philippines to a future powered by clean and sustainable energy,” said Reuben Andrew A. Muni, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Philippines climate and energy campaigner.
Some say that solar energy is expensive. It used to. But like cellphones and other gadgets, the sky-high prices at the market fall eventually.
“[the] price drops year after year, more so in the coming years,” said Obet Verzola, the executive director of the Center for Renewable Electricity Strategies, an institution on renewable energy based in the University of the Philippines Diliman.
Mr. Verzola, an engineer, said a household can buy solar panels and have them installed at starting price of P115,000. This is enough to power lights, a television, and other appliance, except an airconditioner, which needs more power. They will get a return on investment in three to five years. The Pag-ibig Fund offers loans for solar panels, which have a life span of 20 to 25 years.
And when there is an increase in demand, the price will go down, said Mr. Verzola.
It started to rain hard during the event at Bonifacio High Street, and this served as a chance to clear up one of the misconceptions about solar power — that solar energy does not work at all when it rains. It does, albeit with an 80% drop in output. This means households and offices can still use their lights or TV, but not air conditioners.
Greanpeace is aiming for 100% renewable energy use in the Philippines by 2050.
Is solar energy practical? Here’s another story you may read: Here comes the sun
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