PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—Solar panels light up a total of 8,245 households in Palawan’s remote villages.

Started in 2007, provincial government’s Solar Home System (SHS) Distribution Project provides affordable electricity supply to un-electrified off-grid remote villages. So far, the project has reached 79 remote barangay in 19 municipalities in the province.

A solar system provides a minimum 25-watt electricity per day, equivalent to about 10 hours usage for a maximum of three seven-watt compressed fluorescent lamp (CFL) and an AM/FM radio cassette.

For the first four years of implementation, project financing has reached a total of P232 million, according to the latest report from the SHS Distribution Project.

In its pilot stage of implementation, it provided solar power to 480 households in six municipalities at a project cost of P10.98 million. The first batch of beneficiaries is located in 12 barangay of Aborlan, Coron, El Nido, Quezon, Roxas and Taytay.

The second batch, funded by the Malampaya at a cost of P116 million, benefitted 3,965 households in 39 far-flung villages.

Funding for the third batch of beneficiaries was sourced from bank loan of the provincial government. There were 3,800 houses in 40 barangay that got lit up with the installation of SHS at a total cost of P106 million.

This year the SHS Distribution Project of the provincial government will target additional 1,500 households.

Palawan’s SHS Distribution Project is a boost to the Energy Reform Agenda and the National Renewable Energy Program of the Department of Energy launched last month by President Benigno Aquino.