Voacolos want Saipan to go green

Jeff Voacolo and his wife Tracy are trying to help the CNMI, starting with Saipan, to go green. Both believe that alternative sources of energy, like solar power, is the next big thing.

The Voacolos are the tag team behind Micronesia Renewable Energy, a company that has already gained a foothold in Guam and the Federated States of Micronesia. They are hoping to introduce modern renewable energy solutions to Saipan for free and no extra cost.

And they have the numbers to show that they know what they are doing.

Jeff, MRE vice president, has more than 35 years of experience in the renewable energy industry starting his career as one of the premier electrical contractors in New Jersey. He earned his engineering degree through the U.S. Naval Construction Force or the Seabees, where he also served for nine years giving him the chance to work in some of large infrastructure projects.

His wife Tracy, the MRE president, started her career with Myles Electric, a prominent electrical contracting firm in Lawrenceville, New Jersey in 1984 then moved to the family-owned Voacolo Electric, Inc. in 1999.

Tracy, who earned her business management and accounting degrees from Rider University, continued to work for Voacolo Electric even when it was bought by Exton, Pennsylvania-based design-build firm WPCS International.

Together, they bring a combined experience of more than 60 years in the engineering and renewable energy industry.

“I’ve been with the renewable industry from the beginning. I saw how things started, the problems that we faced and how it slowly grew. And in the last five years, there’s a drastic change. The renewable energy industry is growing and it is here to stay,” said Jeff.

They already installed solar panels to over 50 houses in Guam and three schools in Pohnpei. They are hoping to do the same in the CNMI, starting with Saipan. “We’re just getting started, getting traction here and it has only been seven months since we opened our office here on Saipan.”

“We’re not just introducing renewable source of energy to the community but also contributes to Saipan’s economy like paying wages of our employees and paying our taxes,” said Jeff, adding that they want to offer a cheaper and cleaner alternative source of energy that could turn households into their own mini power plant.

Why solar power?

“It is a natural transformation of energy where we will no longer need big power plants that run on diesel fuels, which are costly and at the same time not environmental friendly. Their electricity rates depend on the prices of oil, which often goes up.”

“It is also less maintenance compared to wind turbines, which has gears and mechanical parts. In solar, just put the panels up, connect it to your house, turn it on and you’re good to go. It is zero maintenance and can last to 25 years.”

Jeff said the cost of Guam’s average electrical consumption is between $300 to $500, but using solar power saves them 10 percent per month. “When rates go up, this increases the savings as time goes by.”

“On Saipan, its about the same with solar. But the utility is considering in raising rates in March. So this will increase their savings considerably in the future.”

What’s the catch?

Jeff said getting a solar panel up on your roof is totally free and with no extra cost to the homeowner. “We don’t sell or give away solar panels. We sell solar energy through energy storage, the homeowner will buy power but it is greatly cheaper and clean. We install the project at no charge and the consumer gets benefit from a renewable source of energy. Maintenance is also free we will make visits for the next 25 years.”

“What we do is we compute the annual consumption cost of the homeowners using regular power and then we show them the cost if they use solar power. They will get huge savings plus whatever power they use, that’s the one that they’re buying. It also gives them the benefit of power security.”

How strong are the solar panels?

One concern is the strength and stability of the solar panels after Saipan was hit by Typhoon Soudelor’s 178mph winds. Jeff said that their system is designed to withstand 290mph winds.

“Saipan was hit pretty had by Soudelor but the racking panel is built strong and designed to withstand 290mph winds. Power was out for months but with solar energy it can give you security on back up energy. When the next storm comes, it will give you the peace of mind that you have this system with a back-up power and lower rates.”

Jeff added the maintenance, design, and putting up the system will all be done by their highly-trained staff. They will first make a site visit on the house and make plans on how to put up the solar panels. “We know what we’re doing and we know the best technology that is out there. If a palm tree breaks and hit the panels, we’re back on your to fix it with the homeowner not going to pay anything.”

Sunnova Energy Corp. is MRE’s partner in bringing in solar service and battery storage to Saipan. The solar panels could power up to 12 kWh in a household. Homeowners are, however, advised not to use their electric range, hair dryer, and water heater that are considered battery storage “killers” for it consumes much power.

Their system is still designed for residential use as it would be too costly for commercial establishments. The back-up battery could provide energy to power lights, computers, television, air-conditioning units, refrigerators, and other household appliances that are not the so called battery storage “killers.”

“They are some small dental and out-patient clinics Guam that also use the system. They have minimal energy needs where they only need to power refrigerators that store medicines, a couple of aircons and lights in case the regular power goes out,” said Jeff, who added that they are also planning to expand MRE’s reach to the Philippines which has a bigger market.