The Search for the Alternative Meralco

In a city of lights, brownout is a terror.

Return of electricity after a brownout or power outage is considered a simple joy in metropolitan life. Undoubtedly, people of all lifestyles are electricity or energy dependent. Every move corresponds to certain amount of energy used. Nearly everyone has a gadget or two in their households. Power consumption is a way of life. Power corruption is also inevitable.

Considering the newly announced electricity rate increase by the country’s biggest power distributor, I am intrigued by the idea of alternate power sources. As stated in a Philstar.com article about a three-phase power rate hike, a staggered billing scheme for the increase in the generation charge and other transmission charges of Meralco was approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

This means a whopping Php803 increase in households with a usual minimum consumption of 200 kWh upon the P4.15 per kiloWatt-hour is in effect. Roughly a thousand pesos will be spent. 

In these times of economic instability and societal turmoil brought about by the recent Typhoon Yolanda and plundering issues in the government, one cannot help but check available resources that can help augment the situation. Such is the reuse of “waste energy” using triboelectricity.In these times of economic instability and societal turmoil brought about by the recent Typhoon Yolanda and plundering issues in the government, one cannot help but check available resources that can help augment the situation. Such is the reuse of “waste energy” using triboelectricity or the production of electricity through physical contact (rubbing, touching).

The project revolves around the harvesting of otherwise considered “waste energy” to be transformed into sustainable power sources using piezoelectric generators but with two dissimilar materials. Different materials have been tested as to which can be the most efficient to use in the project. The article has reported that this kind of energy can make use of “excess energy” in mundane activities such as walking, vibrations, among others to transform into a portable power source enough to be used in phones and the like. Even if it is in its infancy, the project logistics reflected promising outputs  such as being highly efficient, a cheaper alternative, and ecologically inexpensive.

Although the project is still in prototype, efforts have been started to do upscale productions of such triboelectric generators. If successful, the innovation will become a hit not only in metropolitan areas but also in the rural and suburban areas.

If the government can at least match up to this kind of thinking, there wouldn’t be electricity plundering issues anymore. Fees would lessen. Wasted energy footprint will desaturated to a degree. Life will be easier.