REDCO, Boheco 1 in talks to produce cheap electricity

Renewable Energy Development Corp. (REDCO) and Bohol Electric Cooperative 1 (Boheco 1) are in talks on building the first plastic-based solar technology in the country. Utah, USA-based REDCO wants Boheco 1to first put up a 1-megawatt (MW) solar thermal power plant powered by the plastic-based solar panel technology, Boheco 1 general manager Carlos Itable said. Key people of REDCO and Boheco 1 met in March, where the prospect of expanding the plant capacity to 5 MW was discussed, Itable said. Boheco 1 is now evaluating the proposal. If it is workable, the facility will be completed next April, according to Itable. The cooperative will tap government financial institutions to finance the project if it decides to push through with REDCO’s proposal. The plastic-based technology magnifies the sun's rays, similar to what a magnifying glass, focusing heat on boilers to produce steam that fires up the turbine engines that generate electricity. This unique technology does not rely on solar cells to convert the sun’s rays into electricity through photovoltaic technology, Itable said. Should the plan push through, the technology would be used in the Philippines and in Asia for the first time. It would also be a first for Boheco to try solar energy, as it now uses diesel and hydro facilities to produce electricity. “It will be the best alternative when there is drought and we cannot use the hydro power and since diesel power plants [are] expensive," he said. As the patented technology uses cheap plastic, it would be able to produce cheaper power with each megawatt output needing only 2.5 hectares to fan out the plastic panels. REDCO has existing projects from Texas to California, ranging from power plants with less than 1-MW capacity to over 100 MW. - SVD, GMANews.TV