Monday, June 23, 2008 Talkback: Windmills By Dominico C. Moneva 704-D Bulacao, Pardo,Cebu City
THIS is a reaction to Sun.Star Cebu issue of May 17, 2008, titled “Expensive Electricity” written by your columnist Mr. Godofredo M. Roperos, as well as the Sun.Star headline of June 1, 2008 titled “Petrol, LPG prices rise.”
The rising prices of oil products worldwide triggered the column of Mr. Roperos, which talked about expensive electricity imposed by power plant operators.
Most of our power plants in the Philippines are run by diesel engines and are feed with bunker fuel, which are derived from oil products; while steam engines are coal-fired to heat the boilers. Operators of this type have to select coal with higher BTU (British Thermal Unit), which can maintain the intensity of the heat.
In the US the price of gasoline is already $.84 per liter, which is already equivalent to P175.52 in Cebu City with the present peso-dollar exchange rate.
The government has encouraged the production of bio-diesel, which only powers the vehicles, but not power plants.
However, it would be better if the government or power plant operators adopt an alternative solution to the ballooning cost of electricity by constructing windmills to power its generating set. In New Jersey, I saw three windmills protruding sky-high with three vanes each, facing the North Atlantic Ocean, which powers its generating set. Last week, I had a house guest, Mr. Karyl Julio, a Dutch national, who told me that in Holland one windmill can serve 7,000 homes.
I hope the government can find an alternative solution in the rising cost of electricity in windmills.
