Ateneo de Naga to use solar panels in its campus

NAGA CITY --- The Ateneo de Naga University and Philippine Solar Rooftops last Tuesday, August 15, signed a memorandum of agreement for the installation of solar energy facility inside its Bagumbayan campus. “We are putting up our first solar panel system after several years of vetting different solar panel proposals and providers. The solar panel system will be installed at the new Fr. Alingal Hall,” Ateneo de Naga University Primitivo Viray, S.J. said. Ateneo de Naga is entering into a type of build-operate-transfer (BOT) with First Philippine Solar Rooftops, Inc. The solar energy generated will provide for the electrical needs of the building. The Fr. Alingal Hall will be Ateneo’s first Green Building with the installation of the solar panel system and the use of rain water (through a double piping system installed and a rain water cistern) for toilets and washing. The architectural and structural design of the building also provides for more air circulation and reduction of heat, including non-concrete parking spaces. Fr. Viray said the project is one of the Ateneo’s humble contributions to the call of Pope Francis in his encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home.