After tedious assessment processes by experts and continuous consultations with the community, Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc. found premise to explore working with the municipality of Maytegued in building stronger and more sustainable socio-economic opportunities for its people, through its Access to Energy Program.
On Feb. 4, 2020, PSFI inaugurated the Maytegued Micro-Grid Hybrid Power System, a solar and wind power system that will serve as the community’s main source of electricity. This system is able to generate 24/7 reliable and clean energy service for the island, directly connected to 86 households, where 70 solar home systems were distributed.
The project will be directly operated by the Maytegued Electric Association, a group consisted of residents that are connected to the grid.
The association will be collecting membership fees and monthly payments based on the power consumption of each household, monitored through meter readings. These revenues will be allocated to the maintenance and scaling up of operations.
Today, residents of Maytegued are not only more comfortable, but are able to bring in better access to livelihood opportunities and basic education.
For teachers, simply the access to a printer has reduced their workload by a huge percent. “We used to do all our visual materials and lesson plans manually (handwritten). Now that preparations are so much easier, we are able to focus on our students more,” says Teacher Jasmin.
Reflecting on the predicament of students who travel 2-3 kilometers to school each day, teachers are pleased to know that the children are heading to classrooms where proper ventilation and lighting is available—a place where they can feel comfortable enough to learn. “We are so grateful to Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. You have no idea how much you are helping us and the children. We promise to take care of it.”
During the inauguration, PSFI executive director Sebastian Quiniones Jr. ensures the community that the organization is committed to working together with Barangay Maytegued in moving forward, and hopes that the project will serve as their “enabler” for further developments and sustainability.