SOLARIC LIGHTS UP A SARI SARI STORE
REGINA ROME
Solar Digital Squad
Manila, Philippines
November 10, 2018
Flashback
Solaric has been busy for the last 5 years installing rooftop solar systems all over the Philippines – from large industrial steel plants, to cold storage facilities, to factories and warehouses and buildings, to thousands of homes and businesses in Asia. The very simple story of Manong Rodel was one of the more memorable installations.
Throwback 2014
Situated across the street from the Solaric stock house on J.P. Rizal in Makati City is a small sari-sari store, owned by Manong Rodel. Three years ago, the store had no electric power and no connection to the utility provider, because he could not get a certificate of electrical inspection. Manong Rodel’s work-around to the problem was to use a kerosene lamp for light and a car battery for power. When the car battery needed to be charged, Manong would walk four blocks away just to charge the battery at Php60 per charge. The power would last them for five days of power. Manong Rodel and his wife had been living there since 2006. They were a nice, honest, and hardworking couple. “Ang tagal na namin dito,” said Manong Rodel’s wife, “kahit minsan, hindi kami nagka-ilaw dito. Talagang gasera lang.”
What the Solaric Founders did
Manong Rodel recalled how the Founders of Solaric had reached out to help him. “Noong nakita po ni Boss Mike at Mam Jade, binigyan muna kaming chargeable solar. Nung bumalik sila galling Tacloban, pinakabitan kami ng solar panel. Tuloy tuloy na po yung power namin, walang palto yon.”
“I go 1,200 kilometers to go to Tacloban to power schools. Yet right in front of me was a hardworking, nice, and honest couple and yet, they had no power,” said Solaric President Mike De Guzman. “And that’s our expertise: to bring power anywhere.”
Solaric turned on the sun for Manong
So the Solaric team went to work and installed a solar panel on the roof of Manong Rodel’s sari sari store. Finally, after eight years in the darkness, Manong now had power for his lights, electric fans, radio, and other appliances.
“Buti nalang may pusong ginto si Boss Mike. Ngayon lang kami nagka-ilaw,” Manong Rodel added, as his eyes filled with tears of joy.
And then there was a typhoon
Typhoon Glenda (otherwise known as Typhoon Rammasun) was one of the only two Category 5 super typhoons recorded in the South China Sea, and was the first typhoon to directly impact the Philippines in 2014. Typhoon Glenda came and knocked out power in the entire city of Makati in July 2014. For a few days, there was a city black out and no one had electric power. Except one small sari-sari store owned by Manong Rodel.
(Source)
The gift of power
As a systems integrator and as the leader in rooftop solar, Solaric is always on the look out for energy problems to fix, because the way they view it, all energy problems can be solved. So when the Solaric Founders noticed that problem, they installed a solar panel and a simple offgrid setup. Solaric gave Manong Rodel the gift of power.
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Visit this page or call +63.5040092, or email info@solaric.com.ph.
Regina Rome is a solar analyst with the Solar Digital Squad Research.