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ILOCOS NORTE<br />
diesel generators that provided electricity for only three<br />
hours every evening. This hindered the island’s growing<br />
tourism industry, driven mainly by foreign visitors and<br />
divers. Thanks to the microgrid, diving hotspot Isla<br />
Verde now offers natural wonders<br />
while delivering modern comforts<br />
and conveniences to local and<br />
international divers alike.<br />
This island is a 90-minute boat ride<br />
from the nearest province, tucked<br />
between Luzon and the Mindoro<br />
panhandle. It has always been<br />
inaccessible to the main national<br />
power grid, until recently.<br />
Meralco solar microgrid system<br />
philstar.com<br />
In February 2019, Isla Verde was energized by a<br />
32-kilowatt (kW) solar panel microgrid, supported by a<br />
192-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery storage facility. This<br />
project was spearheaded by the Manila Electric Co.<br />
(Meralco).<br />
A microgrid facility is a small-scale power grid that can<br />
operate independent of the country’s main transmission<br />
network. A solar microgrid is powered using solar panels<br />
connected to a battery storage facility. Crucially, the solar<br />
microgrid system allows Isla Verde to live up to its name,<br />
to become an island not just verdant but also ecologically<br />
sound.<br />
Cheaper and more reliable to operate than diesel<br />
generators, the microgrid is also far more sustainable.<br />
This guarantees that the island’s tourism industry will<br />
thrive with a minimal environmental impact and a lower<br />
carbon footprint.<br />
In February 2019, Isla<br />
Verde was energized<br />
by a 32-kilowatt (kW)<br />
solar panel microgrid,<br />
supported by a<br />
192-kilowatt-hour (kWh)<br />
battery storage facility.<br />
It also promises to better preserve<br />
Isla Verde’s natural beauty, to<br />
benefit both visitors as well as future<br />
generations of residents.<br />
The Verde Island Passage offers a<br />
great diversion for tourist on their<br />
way to Mindoro’s diving Mecca at<br />
Sabang and Puerto Galera, the home<br />
of the yacht club that each year<br />
thebrokenheartedtraveller.files.wordpress.com<br />
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