- The Philippines has commissioned 90kW of solar pumps in central Luzon.
- Both solar pumps cost a total of $768,480.
- The Philippines also plan to utilise floating PV for irrigation water supply.
The Philippines’ National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has commissioned two solar water pumps in the Nueva Ecija Province in the Central Luzon region. Both solar pumps have a cumulative capacity of 90kW and are set to aid 273 farmers spread across the San Isidro and Peñaranda municipalities.
The San Isidro solar pump will serve an area of 23.3 hectares and benefit 159 farmers, while that in Peñaranda will cover 228.9 hectares and serve 114 farmer-beneficiaries. Both solar pumps were constructed at a total cost of $768,480. According to the NIA, although the solar pumps have much higher upfront costs, they will save money when compared with fossil fuel-powered water pumps as they will require almost no maintenance for their lifetime of over 25 years.
The NIA also has plans to utilise floating PV in providing water supply for irrigation. The Agency sees floating solar projects as more beneficial as they have less impact on the environment than hydropower infrastructure and require minimal heavy equipment use. The agency has identified the Pantabangan and Casecnan dams in the province of Nueva Ecija in the Central Luzon region as ideal locations for floating solar.=