Pueblo de Oro Development Corp. (PDO), the property development arm of the ICCP Group, is walking the sustainability talk as it actively pursues the installation of solar panel systems to energize buildings within their projects.
A pioneer of “green living” in the Philippines, Pueblo de Oro has consistently integrated environmental programs in its developments in Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Pampanga and Batangas. They include flood control measures, erosion mitigation measures, recycling programs, generous open spaces and nature reserves—all designed to make communities more environmentally resilient.
The developer recently began to harness renewable energy (RE) in its projects to make its operations at its sites even more sustainable.
Pueblo de Oro Golf & Country Club in Cagayan de Oro has installed solar panels in its Bag Drop Building. The system has resulted in approximately 12 percent savings in monthly electricity consumption for the Club.
In Cebu, Pueblo de Oro installed another rooftop solar system in the Pueblo de Oro Townsquare, a three-level commercial strip in Babag 2, Lapu-Lapu City. The system powers the Administration Office located in the retail center and is projected to reduce the office’s monthly electricity cost by approximately 46 percent.
These initial rooftop solar panel set-ups are estimated to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by a combined 2,128 kilograms (kgs) per year, or equivalent to 97 trees planted and grown. On average, a mature tree can absorb and sequester approximately 22 kilograms of CO2 per year.
“We will continue to tap into innovative practices and technologies, such as renewable energy, and expand its use in our day-to-day operations to make our developments more sustainable and environmentally friendly,” says one Pueblo de Oro official.
In addition to the rooftop solar panels, the developer installed solar-powered streetlights in various project sites. A total of 720 streetlight fixtures, ranging from 100 to 200 watts, were set up in Cagayan de Oro; Mactan, Cebu; Santo Tomas, Batangas; and San Fernando, Pampanga. Running at an average of 10 hours per day, the installed solar streetlights represent savings of over 320,000 kWh of grid-supplied electricity. This results in a reduction of CO2 emissions of approximately 154,787 kg per year, or equivalent to over 7,000 trees planted and grown.
In its Townscapes Malvar township in Batangas, the company is planning to utilize electric vehicles (EVs) to serve the community and potentially integrate into the public transport network of the province.
Meanwhile, Pueblo de Oro’s house design at Townscapes Malvar secured a preliminary certification from EDGE, an internationally recognized green building certification system. EDGE reported that the purposeful and innovative design resulted in improvements of 20 percent in energy efficiency, 52 percent in water efficiency, and a high 72 percent in embodied energy in materials used compared to a typical housing unit. For the homeowner, these translate to an estimated energy savings of 623.2 kWh per housing unit per year, or over P7,700 per year (estimated at current rates). It also means savings of 63 cubic meters of water per household per year.