Micro hydros light up houses in remote Colayo

HAPPY WEEKEND  

Gina Dizon 

PASIL, Kalinga  --  Without power from  Kalinga Apayao Electric Company  (KAELCO)  for  quite some time  while  the capital city of  Tabuk  enjoyed electricity ,  the remote barangay of  Colayo in this northern part of the province set up its own  electric power using   hydro power sourced from the  Pasil River.   

           

This  remote  barangay is  bordered by  towering mountains  Sapukoy, Mosimos and Patang cradling  luxuriant waters that  flow to the vibrant Pasil River.

The 1.5 kilowatt  hydro  unit  uses  the  alternator-dynamo of a vehicle and the  force of the river  powering the machine which supplies electricity  to at least 12 houses during summer time.     

‘When the rains get stronger in the rainy season, the  hydro  unit  supplies current  to at least 20-25 houses,” Balcito Guyang  from the village said. There are  72 households in Colayo.  

Relying on mechanical   knack not having formal studies on mechanical or electrical engineering, the 32 year old  Balcito set up the hydro power unit  in 1999  when he was  then 19 years old. He copied the  design of a similar  hydro  unit  from  one  set up by  Tuday  Tulyabang  in  the  mining town of  BatongBuhaywhich supplies  electricity  to  small scale mining  mills and to nearby houses.    

The  hydro  power in Colayo  was  installed  by  Guyang with a P15,000 cost  in 1999 to include a dynamo and other parts as the bearings.

Each household’s supply of electric current holds a maximum  of  60  watts  with 2  bulbs per house.  The consumer-households  pay at least  P100 per  month  for maintenance  of the hydro system which changes its  metal bearings  every year.

Three other hydro plants followed  in 2007 then 2009 and the latest in 2011  installed by three other individuals. The four micro hydro plants in the  village now service  some 40 households. The  rest of the 32 out of 72 households decided not to have their houses  connected  or are located in places a little bit  far from the  site of the  micro hydros ’ transmission lines.

Barangay Dangtalan is also energized by a micro-hydro installed by the Department of Energy and the Kalinga  Apayao State College–ANEC    built along  Dangtalan  Creek  in 2004. It operates regularly for 12 hours and 24 hours when needed.

The rest of the barangays of Pasil is energized by KAELCO tapped from the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR) gridline at Tomiangan, Tabuk City and the power generator at Lubuagan municipality.

 Sitios  Amdalao and some households in  Puapo in Dangtalan, Pasil Poblacion, Pugong and Malucsad, Dalupa, and Galdang are energized by the power generator at Lubuagan.  Barangay Cagaluan is energized by the gridline from sitioTomiangan. Barangays Magsilay, Balinciagao Sur and Balinciagao Norte of lower Pasil  await power supply from the gridline at Cagaluan.