Wind Energy: A Worthy Investment

Wind energy is an inexhaustible natural energy source that humans have used in one way or another for thousands of years. In recent years, many wind farms with large numbers of wind turbines have been constructed around the world. Offshore wind farms are now becoming popular. too.

Now, the Philippines is a windy place, to begin with. This means that it would be a shame not to invest in wind farms. Thankfully, in recent years, we have focused more on clean energy. Let’s look at what the country has in the wind energy sector and talk about why we should invest more in going green.

Bangui Wind Farm in Ilocos Norte

The Bangui Wind Farm has always been a popular tourist destination since its construction. After all, it is the only one of its kind in the country. It was also dubbed as one of Southeast Asia’s biggest wind farms. However, the farm is more than just a visual marvel. The windmills were built there for a vital purpose and that is to generate power – completely clean power, in wind energy. 

The Bangui Wind Farm project was started by a $48 million dollar grant from the Danish government in 1998. Denmark also brought all the wind turbine generators for the 20 windmills. They were given by the Danish company Vestas Wind Systems, which powers most of Denmark’s own wind farms.

The Bangui Wind Farm project was set in motion in 1998, but it was only completed in 2008 when the last five wind turbines were added. This last move brought the total capacity of the wind farm to about 33 megawatts.

Being one of the ‘greenest’ areas of the Philippines, the Bangui Wind Farm provides about 50% of Ilocos Norte’s electricity. It’s been estimated that 56,788 tons of CO2 are being reduced by the project on a yearly basis. This makes the whole area surrounding the Bangui Wind Farm and Ilocos Norte, one with the lowest carbon emission footprints among Asian developing countries.

Magnus Vertical Axis Wind Turbine in Basco, Batanes

The Magnus Vertical Axis Wind Turbine was made possible with funding assistance from the government of Japan. Challenergy, the company behind the system, started working on the project in 2019. Despite the hurdles brought by the pandemic, construction works were completed from April to August of last year.

According to Challenergy, the new wind turbine can operate even in strong winds and promises a new wind energy opportunity for places with high wind potential.  Even during typhoons, the company promised that it will contribute to better energy access, and improve Filipinos’ livelihood.

Batanes has long been known for its unforgiving weather, and is the perfect location for such technology.

Pililla Wind Farm in Pililla, Rizal

Wind energy produces no waste and is beneficial both for the people and the environment. That is why in 2008, the Department of Energy gave permission to create a wind farm in Pililla, Rizal. Altenergy then began the construction of the wind farm in 2013, and the project was finished three years after. The purpose of the wind farm is to serve the nearby towns and municipalities of Rizal and Laguna with a clean source of energy.

There are 27 wind turbines in this wind farm. Each windmill can generate 2 megawatts of power, producing 54 megawatts of energy in total.

This wind farm can generate electricity that can power over 66,000 houses. It is also oriented to capture Amihan winds from October to March. Recently, it has also become a tourist destination, and can even be seen while driving on the highway.

Nabas Wind Farm in Aklan

The Nabas Wind Farm delivered its first power to the Visayas Grid in 2015. It was built by PetroGreen Energy Corporation. 

The Nabas Wind Farm is the first project in Aklan to utilize wind energy for electricity. Today, there are 18 wind turbines that supply clean energy to the Visayas grid. The turbines supply 36-megawatt of power to the town’s 20 barangays.

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Wind energy is crucial for a developing country like the Philippines for it to reach its sustainability goals. Without the use of any fossil fuel or coal, we can minimize our carbon footprint, and maximize the winds that we get from surrounding seas.

The continued investment in wind farms around the country will definitely have a positive impact on our energy mix, and most importantly will be felt by consumers who bear the brunt of electricity costs. Here’s to hoping the next administration further embraces this green technology.