BFAR showcases windmill-operated pump in ComVal

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has build a windmill-operated pump in its regional research Nabunturan, Compostela Valley Province. In his report to Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap, BFAR Director Malcolm I. Sarmiento, Jr. said the 30-foot 32-blade windmill would supply the water requirements for a 4,005-sq m fishponds subdivided into three hapa-based hatchery ponds, two conditioning pond and a hapa-based nursery pond. The regional aquaculture center produces a total of 2.3 million tilapia fingerlings annually and disperses 1.85 million fingerlings in communal bodies of water. It serves between 600 and 1,000 backyard fishponds in the locality. According to Sarmiento, the windmill-operated reciprocating pump has a pumping capacity of 45-60 gallons per minute, roughly equivalent to the output of three units of two horsepower submersible pumps. “The use of windmill would translate to savings in terms of electric cost. In Pampanga, for instance, pond owners spend around P15,000 per hectare per month for their electric-operated water pumps," he said. He added that although the total cost of windmill fabrication and installation sums up to P302,000.00, its maintenance cost for greasing is only P150 every 6 months. The life span of the windmill is 15 years under normal operating conditions. Nabunturan Mayor Macario Humol expressed optimism that the windmill project would be replicated by local stakeholders as it uses clean energy. Humol also said that the project could serve as a learning center for students to appreciate the use of renewable energy in reducing our dependence on traditional fuels like gasoline. The use of windmills in fishpond and hatchery operations is part of BFAR’s strategy to address the high cost of fuel. Two more windmills are already in the pipeline for use in BFAR facilities this year. One will be put up soon at the National Freshwater Fisheries Technology Center in the Science City of Muñoz and the other will be in Region 2. - GMANews.TV