ILOILO – The Iloilo Provincial Hospital (IPH) in Barangay Rumbang, Pototan town is the first hospital in the country to avail itself of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) solar energization program called DREAMS (Development for Renewable Energy Applications Mainstreaming and Market Sustainability).
DOE has partnered with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for the DREAMS program.
Solar panels will be installed on the rooftop of certain IPH structures. Gendiesel Philippines Inc. was awarded the contract for this. The work duration is 90 days.
The solar panels are expected to produce 75 kilowatt (KW) installed renewable energy generation capacity for the use of IPH.
DOE-UNDP-GEF allotted P5 million for the project while the Iloilo provincial government allotted a counterpart fund of P1.8 million.
IPH chief Dr. Albert Cordero said the project will provide dependable uninterrupted power supply to the hospital’s critical areas such as the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Emergency Room (ER) and Delivery Room (DR) Complex and the IPH Molecular Laboratory.
He added that with the project, IPH could also generate a savings of P1.3 million to P1.5 million annually, which is beneficial to the provincial government.
Last year, IPH consumed a total of 776 kilowatthours (KWH) which is equivalent to P 6.1 million electric bill, said Cordero.
The hospital project was launched recently through a switch-on ceremony and signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) spearheaded by Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., UNDP representative Dr. Selva Ramanchandran, DOE’s Renewable Energy Management Bureau (REMB) chief Engineer Gaspar Escobar Jr., Cordero, and Iloilo II Electric Cooperative (Ileco 2) general manager Engineer Jose Redmond Roquios, among others.
Defensor thanked UNDP and DOE.
“This project signals our transition to renewable energy in our facilities,” Defensor said, adding he looks forward for more partnerships with the DOE and UNDP in the future.
Aside from savings on power consumption, the use of renewable energy will also contribute to climate change mitigation efforts, added Defensor. (ECG, Capitol News/PN)
