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A microgrid system supplying electricity to a remote island-barangay in the town of Caramoan in Camarines Sur proved its resilience by providing uninterrupted power supply to the island’s more than 600 residents during the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine.

Though the island of Haponan on the north coast of Caramoan was one of the areas in Bicol first hit by Kristine, electricity remained available for its residents despite the non-stop rain and wind gusts of up to 100 kilometers per hour brought by the storm.

Haponan Island’s electricity comes from a microgrid, a small yet self-sufficient energy system that Lopez-led FP Island Energy Corporation (FP Island) established in December 2021.  It consists of a renewable energy component (solar energy with battery) and a conventional power source (a diesel generator set).

Microgrid systems are able to respond to the country’s electrification needs by providing services in remote areas of the country not connected to the main grid and not easily accessible by large power distribution utilities.

FP Island operates two other microgrids in the nearby islands of Lahuy and Quinalasag with about 2,400 residents combined.  While these microgrids were preemptively shut down before Kristine made landfall, normal operations resumed in 11 of the 13 barangays 48 hours after the storm passed and the winds died down.

“Despite the strength of the typhoon, the generators and distribution lines sustained minimal damage from the winds and fallen trees,” said Larry Evangelista, FP Island general manager.

Prior to the operation of the FP Island microgrids, the residents either did not have electricity or relied on diesel-fired generators that ran only for a few hours each day. 

Since the microgrid installation in late 2021, Haponan, Lahuy, and Quinalasag residents have enjoyed 24/7 electricity.  This has enabled significant community livelihood activities, which otherwise would have been impossible without electricity such as ice-making, internet access, doing business online, printing services, multimedia learning for teachers and students, and mobile phone charging.

FP Island’s microgrids support the nationwide electrification goal of the government as provided under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act in 2001 or Epira allowing a private corporation like FP Island to be a qualified third party (QTP) to provide electricity services in remote areas of the country. 

To accelerate the development of microgrids, the Microgrid Systems Act was passed to facilitate the provision of electricity in remote and unserved or underserved areas of the country. 

FP Island, a unit under Lopez-owned First Philippine Holdings, maintains a program supporting the electrification of off-grid areas in keeping with the conglomerate’s mission of forging collaborative pathways for a decarbonized and regenerative future.

It is a sister company of First Gen Corporation, the country’s leading provider of clean and renewable energy. First Gen and FP Island offer regenerative solutions to customers that share a common commitment to protect the environment.