Lubang Island site visit

Lubang Island is another of the proposed sites for a wind turbine. The island is situated north of Mindoro Occidental and has a population of about 30,000. The proposed application for the wind turbine in Lubang was for water pumping. The Municipal Planning Office proposed 4 potential sites that fit the criteria for a wind turbine and required a water pumping system.

Sitio (hamlet) Kusang Loob was identified as the site with the greatest potential. There are 107 households and a population of approximately 500 people. They currently hand pump their water from wells in the sitio. There is an exposed hill, elevated 12m above the sitio, that has an existing borehole. The wind turbine will pump water to a storage vessel on the hill and use gravity to distribute the water.

The anemometer installed on a bamboo pole at the proposed site.

According to the NREL wind atlas (developed by the US Renewable Energy Agency) the site has an excellent wind potential. The National Power Corporation are investigating the site for a large wind farm for electricity generation. The NREL wind atlas has mapped the potential wind resource of the entire Philippines using surface and satellite data. The data is useful to identify potential sites on a macro scale but cannot be used for detailed system design or wind turbine placement.

Matarinao site visit

Matarinao is one of the proposed sites for a wind turbine. It is a remote coastal fishing barangay (village) in Eastern Samar. An important livelihood and source of income for the barangay is fish drying. Fish are caught in the bay, de-boned, dried and then sold to surrounding municipalities. Up to 70% of the barangay population are involved in the fishing industry.

Matarinao from the pier.

The proposed application of the wind turbine will be to power a fish dryer for use in the wet season. During the dry season the fish are dried in the sun, but during the wet season this cannot be done and the barangay struggle to sell their fish. The rainy season lasts 5-6 months a year and coincides with the windy season.

The recent visit included a pre-feasibility study and installation of an anemometer. The barangay captain is responsible for recording the anemometer data. Data of the barangays population, demographics, geography and economy was also taken.

The barangay has recently been connected to the grid, although only a few households can afford the grid connection fee and electricity prices. The introduction of street lighting has made a big impact on the social life within the barangay.

The barangay has a 7 year old 2.7kW solar water pumping system, funded by AusAid and installed by the local government. However, this has recently stopped working and requires maintenance. The barangay does not have the skills or the money to fix it. There was no tariff collection for water usage, and therefore no available money to replace the batteries or the pump. Technology breaking down and having no maintenance systems in place is a common problem with large aid agencies and government projects. SIBAT works closely with communities to wotk our ownership and tariff systems, monitor projects and carry out maintenance.

The dysfunctional 2.7kW solar water pumping system in Matarinao.