Too Much Sun and Sand, Yet Too Little Solar Energy

On December 12, 2008, last year, the first ever solar-powered 40-foot Christmas tree in the Philippines was lighted at the Mall of Asia.  Thirty-five donated solar panels were installed, and energy-saving LED bulbs were used to optimize the solar power.  This was supposed to be a historic event, at least in the name of environmentalism, especially considering that the tree would have to stay alit in a country where Christmas is a month-long celebration.

And yet it seems that this solar-powered Christmas tree is long overdue for a tropical sunshiny country such as the Philippines.  We’ve had the sun forever in the country, and yet solar energy still remains confined in the realm of cute ceremonious events such as lighting a Christmas tree.  All that lovely energy hitting asphalt roads, tin roofs, our heads and backs—unutilized and wasted.

* * *

Let’s admit it: when it gets hot in the Philippines, it really can get hot.  Ours is a country of extremes.  Which is understandable since the country lies almost smack on the equator where the sun’s rays hit jackpot.   This means that what the other countries above and below us (where the sun doesn't beat down that much)—what the other temperate countries complain about as scorching heat, we Filipinos actually experience three-fold, and with good-natured tolerance.

With all this nationwide abundance sunshine, one would think the Philippines should have been big on solar energy a long time ago.  After all, the sun is free, up-for-grabs, just waiting to be trapped into solar panels, then converted back into useable electricity so that the average Filipino household can run a modest color TV, an electric fan, and some energy-saving light bulbs.

This is just not the case however since solar panels don’t come in cheap, what with erratic prices of silicon, which comprises 45% of a solar cell.

Read more : Too Much Sun and Sand, Yet Too Little Solar Energy