In the Philippines, hydropower brings electricity to the country’s outermost areas

“Sustainable Energy” is the seventh of the UN’s sustainable development goals. The first subsidiary goal is to ensure that everyone has access to a reliable and modern supply of energy at an affordable price.

The second subsidiary goal is that the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix must be increased significantly. Our Philippine projects in the area of “mini hydropower plants” help to meet both these ambitions. Access to electricity is still a problem in several of the outermost rural areas. On the other hand, the Philippines are rich in large streams, rivers and elevation differences, which makes running water a potential source of energy.

A hydropower plant can therefore be a substantial part of the solution, since one mini plant can produce power to approx. 10.000 households with between 5 to 10 people in each household. PTS is involved in various hydropower plants, several of which make up the lifeline for the supply of electricity to small remote communities.

Laser scanning from the air
The experience in this area encompasses all phases, and the introductory phases alone can represent quite a technical challenge. When conducting preliminary studies, the Philippine mountain areas may be extremely inaccessible. Airborne LiDAR technology is therefore often used. LiDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging and is, in short, a special type of laser scanning that can map large areas with a high degree of precision. The airborne variation is attached to a helicopter that flies over the area.

It has the advantage that all vegetation can be removed from the photos, leading to very precise relief models. The results are used to create 3D models of the landscape in order to assess where the watercourse has the greatest energy potential and the best possible way to construct the plant.