(Reuters) — Wind turbines are drawing in tourists, revenue and jobs to a small farming town in Rizal.
Every year, on top of the windswept hills of the province, more than 340,000 tourists mill the view deck of Pililla town’s 4,500-hectare wind farm to marvel and take pictures of its 125-meter-tall white wind turbines.
Construction of the wind farm, which consists of 27 turbines, finished in June 2015.
The farm was inaugurated and opened to the public in June 2016 to raise awareness about cleaner and alternative sources of energy.
The turbines, under the ownership of renewable energies-focused Alternergy Corp., produce more than 150 million kilowatts annually, enough to power 66,000 households. Alternergy’s chief executive officer Vince Perez says his company ventured into the renewable energy business to contribute in the fight against climate change.
A 2015 Energy Ministry study reported almost half of the country’s energy production came from coal-fired power plants while only one percent of the 82,413 gigawatt per hour industry came from wind farms. Renewable energy sources, which make up one-fourth of the country’s production, are mainly focused on geothermal and hydro-power plants.
Perez says Filipinos can benefit a lot from alternative energy sources produced in facilities such as his wind farm. On top of making the environment more sustainable, they also provide communities with extra revenue and job opportunities. Through an agreement with the Energy Ministry, every kilowatt the wind farm contributes to the national grid, Alternergy pays a centavo in royalties to the provincial and municipal government.
Last year, Alternergy gave P1.5 million for producing 150 million kilowatts. The money was later used for social projects.
On top of the 300 jobs Alternergy created during the construction of the wind farm, it has also set up three souvenir-making cooperatives which employs 45 Pililla residents.
Economic activity has boomed with more than 80 stores selling goods and souvenirs set up along the road leading to the wind farm.
Alternergy plans to double the size of its wind farm and erect new ones in other high-altitude provinces in Luzon soon. Its mission includes building power plants harnessing hydro-power and solar energy with a combined generating capacity of 200 megawatts.
