Paranas Municipal Hall is now powered by solar energy

SAMAR– The municipal building of Paranas, Samar is now powered by a 48 kilowatt-peak (kWp) Smart Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System, which was formally handed over through a Turnover Ceremony and Signing of Deed of Donation at the municipal hall grounds on March 26. The hybrid solar PV system installation was done in partnership with the Philippine-based NGO Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC).

The Paranas Municipal Executive Building is the first municipal hall in the Samar Province to be solar-powered. The 48-kWp smart hybrid solar PV system refers to the maximum power output of a solar panel system under ideal conditions. This is enough to power around 30 to 35 Filipino rural households with an average electricity consumption of 200 kWh per month.

It is also estimated that the Paranas municipal hall will generate PHP15 million worth of savings in their electric bill over the course of 6 years after being powered with solar energy.

“By institutionalizing the partnership between and among the private and public sectors with the help of our development partners, we are confident that the government will be able to meet its target of achieving 35 percent of our share in the power generation mix by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040,” noted Department of Energy Assistant Secretary Mylene C. Capongcol in a video message.

The local government of Paranas has been at the forefront of locally-led energy transition efforts since 2019, when it adopted solarized rooftops in its public buildings, including the Municipal Evacuation Center, the Municipal Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), public schools in Barangays Concepcion, Paco and Jose Roño, and the Barangay Tutubigan Health Center.

The hybrid solar PV installation in the Paranas Municipal Hall is the second solarization project of the municipality done in partnership with ICSC, following the solarization of its Rural Health Unit last year.

“This journey of ours to renewable energy has been a dream to the Paranasnon. We always have to suffer when responding to emergencies, and it’s difficult when we have an unreliable power supply,” says Paranas Mayor Eunice Babalcon.

Following these solarization projects, Paranas will continue advancing its Just Energy Transition Agenda by institutionalizing renewable energy (RE) policies and initiatives, such as the development of a municipal RE ordinance and the adoption of voluntary RE projects of the DOE, including Enhanced Net Metering and the Green Energy Option Program (GEOP). The local government is also committed to strengthen RE education and capacity building in Paranas through collaborations with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), academia, and private sector.

“Paranas will once again serve as an inspiration to many municipalities and cities in Eastern Visayas and across the Philippines—a model that values cleaner and more sustainable energy sources for the future of their community,” said Angelo Kairos dela Cruz, Executive Director of ICSC.

The partnership  between ICSC and the local government of Paranas for this hybrid solar PV installation project was made official through a Memorandum of Agreement signing in October 2024. ICSC also successfully turned over a 60 kWp on-grid hybrid solar PV system to the municipality of Guiuan, Eastern Samar on February 27, 2025.