by: Charlotte Shubert L. Ciencia

SINCE CHILDHOOD, Tano Mindanao had not experienced the comfort of electrical power wired in the house. He didn’t earn much as a vegetable farmer and couldn’t afford a generator. His wife and eight children had to make do with kerosene lamps at night and a battery-powered transistor radio for entertainment.

That was before the Dragonfly came to Capintalan in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija in the heart of the Caraballo mountain ranges in 1998.

The Dragonfly is a micro-hydroelectric project that was conceived by the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) with the people of Capintalan in response to their wish for electricity to extend their productive hours.

Renewable energy

The project was inspired by PRRM’s successful water-based renewable energy program in the province of Ifugao—the Kimkimmit or Firefly that was first tested in 1992—that has been adopted as the province’s strategy for its rural electrification program. It was chosen as one of the recipients of the Ashden for Sustainable Energy in 2004.

Capintalan’s hydro plant is named Dragonfly because it is a scaled up model of Ifugao’s Firefly. The Firefly was primarily for charging batteries that were used for lighting a single bulb in a household, while the Dragonfly was designed to provide electricity directly to consumers. Both belong to the micro-hydroelectric category that can generate a maximum of 100 kilowatts.

Mountain streams

A mini-hydroelectric plant can generate between 101 kilowatts and 10 megawatts (MW), while a mega-hydroelectric plant can generate more than 10 MW.

The Dragonfly generates power that comes from mountain streams through run-off-of-the-river technology.

By tapping small irrigation, water is diverted through a tank to a power pipe that runs a mini-turbine that in turn drives a generator to produce electricity.

Components

Its key components are the following:

1. Weir or water intake structure, which diverts water from the stream to the head race or power canal;

2. Irrigation head race or power canal, which brings the diverted water to the forebay tank;

3. Forebay tank, where the diverted water is accumulated before it pours down the penstock pipe;

4. Downhill penstock pipe, which leads the water to the turbine;

5. Powerhouse, which houses the turbine-generator assembly and the electro-mechanical controls that stabilize the power supply;

6. Transmission lines that deliver electricity from the powerhouse to the consumers.

For this purpose, the Capintalan United Upland Tribal Association (Cuuta) was organized in January 1999. Work started in September of that year, after a financial grant worth P610,815 was obtained mainly from the British Embassy. A counterpart fund came from the Carranglan municipal government.

PRRM provided technical support and project supervision while each of the projected 120 household beneficiaries provided four days of labor.

Headwaters

From the start, it was a difficult project. Construction materials like sand, gravel and cement had to be hauled across the rough mountain terrain to a stream that is part of the Diaman or Talavera River headwaters. Rains hampered construction work. When the installation site’s owner revoked his prior permission to construct, the project had to be relocated.

In 2000, the diversion weir, the power canal, the forebay tank, the penstock, the powerhouse and the transmission lines were all completed. But when they turned the switch on, the Dragonfly generated no electricity.

PRRM contracted a consultant to evaluate the project. The latter recommended relocating some of the civil work components. Relocation, he estimated, would cost almost a million pesos. Because the project funds had been used up, PRRM was almost ready to give up. The Dragonfly was stuck.

Para-electrician team

That was when Tano decided to do something about it.

Tano, who did not finish high school, enrolled in a short course on electronics in the nearby town of Muñoz. With this background and his willingness to learn, he earned a slot on the Dragonfly’s para-electrician team that was sent to a mechanical- and electrical-training course at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Manila.

Tano patiently tended to the seemingly dead Dragonfly. He helped in rebuilding the intake weir and the power canal that were damaged by erosion and in relocating the penstock pipe so it can generate more water power to turn the water turbines.

Plant comes to life

He spent days redesigning the turbine, adjusting the nuts and bolts, studying the wiring, trying to make it compatible with the requirements of the British-made generator. There must be enough water power to turn the turbine, and the turbine blades must be designed for maximum efficiency.

Finally, in December 2002, his efforts bore fruit—the Dragonfly came to life, generating just enough electricity for the powerhouse’s lone light bulb. For Tano and Cuuta, it was enough. They knew they could make the Dragonfly work.

To raise more funds, each household belonging to Cuuta first gave P50 to enable Tano to tinker with the components some more, then contributed another P100 each to complete the remaining civil works, refit the power generator and install nine additional transformers.

Let there be light

In January 2003, Purok Sentro of Barangay Capintalan lit up. The Dragonfly was generating an average of 220 volts for each of the 50 households.

Inspired by this development, Cuuta charted its future.

It reorganized itself into the Capintalan Micro-hydroelectric Consumers’ Association (Camheca). It assumed supervision of the project, the collection of monthly dues from Dragonfly consumers, the formulation of additional policies and overall project implementation.

Volunteer labor

In 2004, Camheca members again each contributed P100 and three sessions of voluntary labor for project improvements.

The forebay tank was relocated to a higher elevation, the penstock was lengthened and 60 meters of the power canal were reinforced with concrete to increase water pressure. These improvements produced enough additional electricity to expand the Dragonfly’s service area to Sitio Boundary and increase the number of consumers to 150 households. To reach the additional consumers, Camheca convinced the local electric cooperative, which was not yet operational at that time, to allow the use of the latter’s power lines.

The Dragonfly is now operating almost 24 hours a day, serving the increased demand of 150 households. In 2005, perhaps due to wear and tear, the Dragonfly’s 35 KVA power generator broke down. A replacement was donated by a Capintalan resident. It broke down, too. The barangay government then donated its 60 KVA generator. Refitted and installed, it generated enough reliable electricity for the households in its service area.

Appliances, computers

The improved supply enabled Camheca’s members to enjoy the comforts of home appliances like television, VCD players and electric fans. Some members even sneaked in prohibited items like washing machines, flat irons, rice cookers and water heaters.

The Capintalan National High School’s connection to the Dragonfly grid made the use of computers possible for its students. The service area further expanded into Sitio Nursery. With 60 bags of cement donated by Triccord, the pathway to the Dragonfly site was improved. The usual bayanihan system, which saw the Dragonfly through in its direst moments, prevailed.

In 2006, however, the local electric cooperative took back its transmission lines from Camheca, reducing the latter’s service area to 104 households. The household voltage was also becoming unacceptably low due to the increasing use of household appliances, especially prohibited ones (i.e. washing machines, flat irons, water heaters and rice cookers).

In December 2007, a 60-KVA generator donated to the barangay by the Carranglan municipal government was refitted and installed. As a result, Camheca’s coverage expanded to 148 households, including the elementary school. The Dragonfly’s voltage output was back to a stable 220 volts.

Extended study hours

Looking back, Camheca members gratefully acknowledge the benefits that they now enjoy from the project. They are most thankful for the extended study hours of their children.

Communication has been made more accessible by rechargeable mobile phones. Public utility vehicles now make regular nighttime stops in Capintalan to pick up passengers. Camheca’s street lights have made it safe for them to do so.

For night lighting alone, household energy consumption has decreased from P600 to P100 per month.

Self-sustaining

A self-sustaining project, the Dragonfly is managed and operated by Camheca’s board of directors. The maintenance team includes Tano who has been designated the power master.

The monthly P100 contribution of members covers maintenance costs and the honoraria of Tano, the barangay electrician, the collector, the bookkeeper, the power canal maintenance team and the board of directors and its officers.

Challenges

There are problems of course. The system is often overloaded because the turbines designed for 35 KVA operation could not keep up with the often increasing demand that peaks at 75 KVA, resulting in power supply fluctuations or brownouts.

The power generator is designed for 60 KVA power production. System voltage is low at the periphery of the service area during peak hours. Camheca is aware of its limited technical capacity on the electro-mechanical, organizational and financial management aspects.

To generate more power, the Dragonfly needs additional water flowing from a higher source. Some pieces of equipment need to be upgraded or replaced. Camheca is looking at the possibility of a power storage mechanism. It also plans to cover 10 more households in Sitio Pandayan and later, 57 households in Sitio Dalton and another 30 in Sitio Boundary.

It’s another regular working day for Tano. He ticks off the required materials for upgrading: a new 35 or 75 KVA power generator, additional step-up and step-down transformers, a thousand meters of aluminum wire and another 6,700 meters of cable wire for transmission, a cut-out fuse, a gate valve controller and a circuit breaker.

He politely excuses himself as he leaves a group of visitors and returns to the Dragonfly’s nest.