10 Gokongwei malls to harness

Gokongwei-led Robinsons Land Corp. has set up 10 of its shopping malls to harness the power of the sun on their rooftops within this year, taking the lead in expanding the use of renewable energy.

Once completed, the 10 malls will have a combined annual yield of 15.94 megawatts and avoid the production of 8,760 tons of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels. This would be equivalent to the planting of 223,965 full grown trees, RLC president Frederick Go said in a statement.

RLC’s goal is to eventually install solar power facilities in all of RLC’s 41 malls, in line with a global trend to shift to the use of renewable energy sources.

The property developer is investing in solar power plants on the rooftops of its shopping malls to produce renewable energy for its own use, making RLC the biggest producer of solar power for self-consumption. Solar energy is estimated to account for 30 percent of the electricity requirements of these 10 malls.

After completing the installation of solar facilities in Robinsons malls in Palawan and Iloilo, Go said RLC expected to complete the installation of solar facilities in Robinsons malls in Dumaguete, Roxas and Antique by April and in Novaliches, Angeles and San Fernando by May.

The solar facilities in Robinsons Novaliches will be the first installation by RLC under a Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) franchise while the San Fernando installation will be the country’s biggest solar facility for self-consumption.

The installations of the solar panels for Robinsons Place Tacloban and Robinsons Cybergate Bacolod are expected to be completed by the latter half of the year.

“Robinsons Land understands the value and potential of energy management to promote sustainable growth and demonstrate its commitment to help protect the environment from the adverse effects of carbon emissions while boosting its shareholders’, employees’ and customers’ confidence in the company by aiming to be an industry leader through efficient energy use,” Go said.

While various energy conservation and efficiency programs are being implemented in the organization, RLC—together with its parent company JG Summit Holdings Inc.—said it was determined to take its energy management commitment further by harnessing renewable energy through its own solar facilities.

RLC has chosen rooftop solar power facilities over other forms of renewable energy sources because advancements in solar panel technology are increasing the efficiency and lowering the cost of production. Apart from being cost-effective, solar power facilities require very little maintenance. Furthermore, they neither generate noise nor produce emissions.