ADB completes 2nd solar rooftop installation

THE ASIAN Development Bank (ADB) has completed its second solar power rooftop project, contributing to the sustainability goal of the 48-year-old regional development bank.

Solar power solutions provider Propmech Corp. has installed a 110.7-kilowatt (kW) solar photovoltaic (PV) system on the Third Atrium Building of the ADB’s headquarters in Mandaluyong City.

The PV system is another landmark project for ADB, whose offices are now powered by 100 percent renewable energy.

The first solar rooftop, which was installed at the ADB’s Segment C Facilities block with a designed capacity of 571.2 kW, was also built by Propmech and inaugurated on June 5, 2012.

The initial solar rooftop installation was the largest roof-mounted installation in the Philippines at the time, providing approximately 3.5 percent of the ADB headquarters’ electricity needs.

A flagship project of both the ADB and Propmech, the solar rooftop installations set an example for other organizations to adopt renewable energy solutions to lower their carbon footprint.

The power generated by the second solar rooftop is connected directly to the ADB’s grid, providing energy to the cooling system of the new building during daytime. The ceremonial switch-on was held last March 5.

Propmech has designed the solar rooftop with a framing system that can withstand wind speeds of up to 270 kilometers per hour during strong typhoons.

The company also said that the new system, which can provide power to at least 60 households, will save over 570 trees every year. Riza T. Olchondra