Emcor cites benefits of solar power in main branch in Davao City
By Lenie Lectura – April 4, 2018
from Business Mirror
MOTORCYCLE and appliance retailer Emcor Inc. is now reaping the benefits of a solar farm atop the roof of its Agdao branch in Davao City.
It said on Wednesday it is now enjoying power savings of up to one third of its monthly electricity bill, following the installation of a 100-kilowattt (kW) capacity solar rooftop panel.
The company’s branch in Agdao is the second customer of local distribution utility Davao Light and Power Co. Inc., to apply for net-metering at the maximum 100-kW capacity limit.
Emcor management said the clean energy produced in their Agdao store addresses half of their energy requirements while reducing their carbon footprint by up to 100 metric tons a year.
Also, the system is still able to generate 100 kW per hour, despite the system’s being switched off on Sundays.
“Emcor is not new to solar energy; we’ve had three branches already fit out with solar panels in the past, each one less than 10 kW. At 100 kW, Agdao is our flagship solar-equipped branch, which stands as a testament to our going green, while benefiting from lower power costs at the same time,” the company said.
Emcor contracted power solutions provider LuminAsia Renewables and Green Energy Inc. to provide turnkey engineering, procurement and construction services to install the rooftop photovoltaic system for the retail store.
Upon commissioning in March, Carlos Garcia, LuminAsia CEO, said the system was intentionally designed with no battery-storage components since the building’s power requirements are entirely during sunlight hours
“This allows maximum returns since batteries increase the overall cost and maintenance of the system significantly. I think it’s crucial to consider because we are in the business of power savings, not solar energy for its own sake,” Garcia added.
Emcor’s Agdao PV system is projected to generate electricity of up to 128-megawatt hours in a year. The company hopes to expand its green initiative and apply the same technologies for its other branches in the Visayas and Mindanao.
