Electricity shortage said to eat into Mindanao firms’ revenues

About 84 percent of the businesses in Mindanao have been incurring severe declines in their revenues, reaching as high as P50,000 for every hour of power outage, according to French energy specialist firm Schneider Electric.

Citing the survey conducted by the Mindanao Development Authority and reported by the Mindanao chapter of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Schneider Electric noted that the power crisis that has gripped the island since the beginning of the year had “businessmen worried” as thousands of pesos are lost to electricity supply shortfalls.

As of Friday, the Mindanao grid continued to post a power supply deficit of as much as 113 megawatts, based on the data from the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines.

“Other businessmen are worried that the power crisis currently besetting Mindanao would soon hit Luzon if no direct action is taken,” Schneider Electric said in a statement.

“The Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce cited a study conducted by a team of engineers from the University of the Philippines National Engineering Center that predicted that brownouts will be growing in frequency in Luzon. It is predicted that by 2014, brownouts will occur 84 days a year,” the company further warned.

This is why companies, according to Schneider Electric, need solutions that can provide back-up power or uninterruptible power supply (UPS), particularly for its IT infrastructure to ensure continuity of operations and prevent data loss.

APC by Schneider Electric currently offers back-up UPS, which provides power adequate enough to address the requirements of small and large businesses, allowing them to continue working through medium and extended length power outages.

“APC by Schneider Electric carries a line-up of back-up UPS that caters to the needs of all types of customers. We also offer energy solutions to companies to prevent loss of critical data, thereby preventing monetary losses to businesses,” said Jeff de Sousa, Schneider Electric vice president for IT business.

The APC by Schneider Electric’s back-up UPS included Pro 1200/1500, Pro 900, and Pro 550 with different specifications based on the needs of the customer. These feature automatic voltage regulation (AVR), which instantly adjusts high and low voltages to safe levels, so you can work uninterruptedly during brownouts and over voltages.

This back-up UPS also has unique “green” features like power-saving outlets that automatically turn off idle peripherals; a high-efficiency charging system that can reduce power consumption; and an LCD display that gives the status of over 20 different utility and battery back-up conditions.