ILOILO CITY-The use of renewable sources of energy in the country will get a big boost with the introduction this month of electric-powered jeepneys, according to a company which pioneered solar energy technology.

Robert Puckett, president of the Solar Electric Company Inc. (Solarco), said the 50 electric jeepneys (E-jeeps) will serve as mobile billboards in the promotion of cleaner energy at a time when there is growing concern over the impact of global warming resulting from worsening pollution.

Solarco, the sole distributor and marketer of the E-jeeps, will pilot the units this month with the presentation of two units in Makati City on July 4 and the rest of the 50 units in Bacolod City in Negros Occidental later this month.

The company is part of the Green Renewable Independent Power Producer Inc. (GRIPP), a network of environmental groups including Green Peace, business firms and local government units promoting the use of renewable energy and against fossilized fuel like coal.

GRIPP conceived of the project a year and a half ago after it got funding from the Dutch foundation Doen. The E-jeeps that costs P550,00 with 5-horsepower engines running solely on electricity. An eight-hour charging of its batteries is enough to cover 120 km each day at a maximum speed of 40 km per hour, said Puckett.

The design of the E-jeeps is patterned after the original passengers jeepneys in the 1950s which were converted from American military jeeps.

Puckett said the E-jeeps are roomy and would afford the driver and passengers a better view because of its wider space. He said a person less than five feet in height could stand upright inside the jeepney.

The units are designed to carry 10-12 passengers at the back and three passengers, including the driver, in front.

The first units of the E-jeeps will come out in red, blue and yellow with fancy designs that reflect the Filipino culture. The designs were conceptualized by artists who studied jeepney designs since the 1950s, said Puckett.

Aside from being safer to the environment, the E-jeeps will also increase the income of drivers because of lesser maintenance expense and because it does not use any diesel fuel.

Puckett said a daily electric charge of an E-jeep's batteries would cost around P150, way below than the daily gasoline expense from P800 to P1,000 of passenger jeepneys. The drivers and commuters will also be spared by fluctuating oil prices in the world market which are sensitive to political and social developments especially in the oil-producing countries.

"E-jeeps provides for cleaner and better lives for the drivers and the community," Puckett told The News Today.

Solarco expects to sell around 80 units this year and 200 by this year.

Puckett said there are many companies who are interested in providing financing to operators and interested buyers of the E-jeeps.

He said that aside from Bacolod City, they are also prioritizing cities that are known to be pro-environment like Puerto Princesa in Palawan and Baguio.

While the first batch of E-jeeps were manufactured and assembled by the Langqing Electric Vehicle Co. Ltd. in Guangzhou in China, Puckett said they hope production will be done locally within the next few years.

Puckett said they hope the E-jeeps will help propagate their advocacies on the use of renewable energy and correct the "misconception" that solar energy technology is expensive and still beyond the reach of the most of the people.

Solarco last week signed a memorandum of agreement with the Iloilo-based micro-finance institution Taytay Sa Kauswagan Inc. to provide solar-power units to rural areas beyond the power grid of the National Power Corp.

This program will provide solar energy systems to households costing a minimum of P21,000 which can power three electric bulbs or its equivalent consumption.

Mylene Capongcol, Director of the Department of Energy and head of its Rural Power Project, who witnessed the event said the aim to energize 90 percent of households by 2017 cannot be done without the help of the private sector.

Puckett said the country has rich sources of renewable energy like solar, hydro, bio gas and wind. He said while ventures to tap and developed these sources are costly, many business firms including from other countries are interested in investing in these areas.*NPB

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