DoST central office goes solar to fight climate change

TO address the negative impact of climate change, the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) will install a state-of-the-art photovoltaic (PV) rooftop system at its main building in Bicutan, Taguig City.

According to the DoST-Science and Technology Information Institute (STII), the agency entered into a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the Philippine National Oil Co. Renewables Corp. (PNOC RC) for this project.

The DoST-PNOC RC collaboration is a «stride toward adoption of renewable energy as a bold step toward addressing the negative impact of climate change,» STII said in a statement.

Spanning a cooperative term of 15 years, the venture will be executed through a lease-to-own framework.

DoST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said its PNOC RC partnership «represents our commitment to achieving energy self-sufficiency, security and independence from fossil fuels.»

The PNOC RC will install a 100-kilowatt peak (kWp) solar PV rooftop facility at the DoST Central Office building that houses the department's various executive offices.

The building has an estimated total rooftop area of 2,400 square meters with a potential to accommodate up to 320 kWp of solar PV capacity for on-site applications.

The PNOC RC will finance the entire project while the DoST Central Office will provide a security deposit equivalent to two months' worth of monthly payments of P217,000 within 60 calendar days of the MoA signing.

As the project transitions into commercial operation, the DoST Central Office will engage in monthly payments to PNOC RC based on the building's energy consumption from the solar PV system; the amount will be multiplied by the prevailing electricity rate of the Manila Electric Cooperative applying a 5-percent discount to optimize cost-efficiency.

Any surplus energy exported to the grid will be factored into the billing period, maximizing savings.

Expected monetary savings are projected at P5,906,094 during the initial 20 years of operation. This estimation underscores the facility's robust performance, as it has maintained an impressive 85 percent of its designed capacity over the years.

The PNOC RC will provide free-of-charge comprehensive training to DoST technical