Tawi-Tawi to get floating solar farm
Credit to Author: EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ| Date: Tue, 09 Jul 2019 16:47:30 +0000
THE government has chosen the remote Sibutu island in Tawi-Tawi for the establishment of its pilot floating solar farm to serve as a convergence area and generate power to run ice-making and cold storage equipment of the fishing community there.
Following a meeting of the officials of Department of Agriculture (DA), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and SN Aboitiz Power Group on Monday at the DA Central Office in Quezon City, the Sibutu Island was “unanimously chosen” to be the site of the multi-function floating solar farm, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said in a statement on Tuesday.
“It was agreed… that the floating solar farm prototype will be funded by the DA-BFAR with an estimated P20 million,” said Piñol.
“The prototype is expected to be completed in four months and when proven to be effective, will be presented to President Rody Duterte as an example of the adoption of modern technology to increase fish production implemented under his administration,” he added.
SN Aboitiz Power, in partnership with National Irrigation Administration (NIA), has recently opened its 200-kilowatt pilot floating solar
power in the reservoir of Magat on the borders of Isabela and Ifugao provinces.
Piñol admitted he was stunned by how the new technology could improve the productivity of the country’s fisheries sector.
During the meeting, SN Aboitiz Power, led by Tristan Aboitiz, shared with DA-BFAR that such technology could generate enough power to run ice-making and cold storage facilities in far-flung and isolated fishing communities of the country.
Piñol said the floating solar farm could also serve as a huge fish aggregating device, locally known as payao, where small fish species would gather and attract big fish species like tuna, that could also promote the production of high value fish.
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