As Southeast Asia grapples with its vulnerability to natural disasters, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) finds itself in the crosshairs of nature’s fury, leaving communities at the mercy of unpredictable calamities. Power outages triggered by these disasters worsen the already dire situation, affecting lives, economies, and emergency responses.
According to the ASEAN Disaster Resilience Outlook (2021), the region stands as one of the world’s most susceptible to natural disasters. These disasters, ranging from typhoons to earthquakes, have the potential to cripple the region’s essential electricity resources.
When the power grid goes down, the consequences are far-reaching: accidents, economic activity grinding to a halt, and emergency responses hampered. In such dire circumstances, the victims of natural disasters suffer even more due to prolonged power outages, not to mention the significant health repercussions of these blackouts.
In response to this crisis, ISU-AC has developed a Movable Solar AC and DC Generator which utilizes solar energy to provide a resilient source of electricity during grid outages, making it a powerful tool in disaster-prone regions.
The benefits go beyond disaster resilience. The use of solar energy for domestic electricity production also offers several advantages, such as reducing the cost of electrical consumption, mitigating pollution, and decreasing reliance on local electric cooperatives, particularly during natural disasters.
Developed by the Campus Director for Research and Development, Dr. Romel B. Cristobal, and Campus Administrator, Dr. Oscar G. Bangayan, the Movable Solar AC & DC Generator is an environmentally friendly alternative source of power. This model has already been patented in 2017.
Their work garnered acclaim when their model, titled “MOVABLE SOLAR GENERATOR: AN ECONOMICALLY VIABLE AND DISASTER-RESILIENT POWER SOURCE,” secured the second place in the Unlad Award for Outstanding Utility Model during the 2021 Regional Invention Contest and Exhibits (RICE) for Cagayan Valley.
The innovators have expressed their intentions to extend their award-winning technology to local communities within the Municipality of Angadanan and other educational institutions.
Dr. Cristobal shared that a technology demonstration will be conducted as part of an ongoing extension program titled “Technology Transfer of Installation and Maintenance of Economically Viable & Upgradable Hybrid Photovoltaic System for Households.”
In the face of the countryโs vulnerability to natural disasters, the Movable Solar AC and DC Generator, born out of ISU-AC’s dedication and vision, embodies resilience and sustainability and represents a significant step towards reducing carbon footprint and addressing the urgent need for sustainable energy access, in line with the aspirations of Sustainable Development Goal 7, Affordable and Clean Energy.
