Carol del Rosario, assistant mall manager of SM City Cabanatuan, said the facility which is composed of 1,449 panels can produce approximately 558 mwh annually.
It has an avoidance of 390.73 tons of CO2 per year which is equivalent to planting 58,609 trees a year, she said.
Del Rosario said these panels are expected to create a P70,000 per month savings in electricity for the mall. “Napakaliit po ng halagang ito kumpara sa actual bill ng mall pero mahalaga ito para sa kalikasan,” she said.
The solar rooftop is the second industrial solar project in the city aside from the First Cabanatuan Ventures Corp. (FCVC) that generates 10 mw of power from the sun.
“Great strides were also achieved through sustainable designs of the mall. Notable is the use of natural lighting through its sky light design located at the 4th level roof park and LED system to optimize electrical consumption,” del Rosario added.
Besides lighting, she said, SM City uses water recycling facility that applies sewage treatment as part of the water conservation effort and recycles non-potable water for the mall’s lavatory flushing.
“Solid waste management is also highlighted in mall operations aside from its trash to cash that allows the community and mall tenants to convert their scraps into cash,” she stressed.
