Solutions to lower Kaelco’s high power cost presented

TABUK CITY, Kalinga: From the academe, engineer Danilo Falgui, professor of electrical engineering at the Kalinga State University (KSU), presented three solutions to mitigate technical systems loss to lower the cost that is passed on to member-consumers.

Kalinga-Apayao Electric Cooperative’s (Kaelco) system loss, which is currently pegged at 15 percent or equivalent to around P2.7 million every month, is deemed too high. To lower it, Falgui recommended first improving the electrical efficiency of consumers that use inductive load, a type of load that consumes a lot of power, such as those with rice mills and stone crushers.

He said this can be done through the installation of capacitor banks or power factor correctors “which would reduce the electric bill of the electrical consumers by 20-30 percent while improving the power factor of the distribution system of Kaelco, thus reducing system’s loss and improving voltage deviations.”

To implement this, Vice Gov. Jocel Baac said the Sangguniang Panlalawigan could pass a measure requiring consumers to use inductive load to install the devices.

Falgui’s second suggestion is the “installation of primary metering to the overextended distribution lines by Kaelco so that it can quantify the system’s loss and initiate corrective measures with pinpoint accuracy.”

Thirdly, he suggested the development of a tool that would independently check Kaelco’s calculations.

“KSU students will make a computer program that is tailored-fit for the Kaelco distribution line through research to be used to double-check, verify or confirm the output of the computer program being used by Kaelco,” Falgui said.

Falgui said the program would be developed at no cost to the Kaelco and would be an opportunity for KSU students to hone their skills.

He said the program would also be useful in anticipating future problems in Kaelco’s distribution lines so that these can be averted.

Another suggestion is to suspend taxes imposed by the provincial government.

The provincial government collects franchise tax, business tax and real property tax from the Kaelco.

While no exact figures were given as to how much it would lower charges, Kaelco’s executives said suspending taxes would have a direct effect on member consumers’ electricity bills.

Baac said the provincial government would be amenable to the suggestion if it would help lower power bills but “we have to consult our local finance committee first.”