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Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Remote village gets cost-efficient electricity
SABANGAN, Mt. Province -- The wish of residents of sitio Libo, Napua-the remotest barangay of this town-for electricity became a reality with the introduction of the micro hydro battery charger technology as one of the viable alternative sources of electricity in the place.
Norberto Cobaldez, head of the Provincial Science and Technology here, said the project is the most practical and cost efficient source of electricity for sitio Libo due to the distance of the houses from each other and from the electric lines of the Mt. Province Electric Cooperative.
Cobaldez formally turned over the DoST-assisted project to Libo residents led by Barangay Chairman Salvador Saguipil.
Saguipil said the new lighting system would definitely be a big help especially in the studies of the school children. He said they already formed an association tasked to sustain and manage the project.
An-An Andawey, an elementary school teacher, said that with the improved domestic lightings, school children would be able to study their lessons well and do their assignments, which she hopes, could result to an improved readiness and preparedness in class. She said pupils will no longer sport dirty nostrils and black marks on their books and papers as a result of using pine tree ore as light during their night study.
She said students could also now better appreciate how electricity is generated as they have the schemes in their backyard, and no longer just through their teachers' lectures and books.
Alex Yagyangen, one of the beneficiaries, said the project has also saved them time and effort to gather pine tree flitch for lighting.
The Libo micro hydro battery charger makes use of the extra water from the irrigation canal. Water, which falls into the turbine via a three-inch intake pipe or penstock and connected to an alternator, produces electricity. Electricity is then stored in batteries through charging. The turbine is sheltered with a small hut called powerhouse where residents periodically bring their respective batteries for charging. Fully charged battery is enough to provide a household lighting that usually runs for a week.
The project was acquired through a cost-sharing scheme with the Napua barangay council, which appropriated P60,000 from their 20 percent development fund to purchase 30 pieces of batteries.
Aside from technical assistance, the science and technology department provided the turbine and other mechanisms to complete the project. At present, the project is benefiting 33 households, including the teachers' quarters.
The scheme is one of the alternative, renewable and indigenous sources of electricity the government is promoting in view of the continuing upsurge of fuel price in the world market.
(October 18, 2005 issue)
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