News and Announcements
AMORE Program Partners Renew Alliance for Rural Electrification
Members of the Alliance for Mindanao Off-grid Renewable Energy (AMORE) Program signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to implement the third phase of the Program on April 27, 2010 at the La Mesa Eco Park, Quezon City.
Amidst the picturesque backdrop provided by the La Mesa Eco Park, members of the Alliance for Mindanao Off-grid Renewable Energy (AMORE) Program raised their hands in solidarity as they renew their commitment to provide electricity to remote, off-grid rural communities in Mindanao. Shown here are (L-R) US Ambassador Harry K. Thomas Jr., Acting DOE Secretary Jose C. Ibazeta, Sunpower Foundation Program Manager Alyssa Newman, Winrock International Vice President William Howley, and USAID Acting Mission Director Elzadia Washington
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Department of Energy (DOE), SunPower Foundation and Winrock International have agreed to support a third phase of AMORE based on the positive results of the program’s previous two phases, which ran from 2002 to 2009.
The AMORE Program is a rural electrification program that energizes remote, off-grid rural communities in Mindanao using stand-alone renewable energy (RE) systems such as solar photovoltaic (PV) and microhydro technologies. Since 2002, the program has provided energy to nearly 14 thousand households in 474 remote, off-grid, and mostly conflict-affected barangays across Mindanao.
Designed to assist the Philippines in transitioning to the next phase of rural electrification – household electrification – and strengthen solar energy development in general, while also promoting the use of solar energy for education through a strong “solar schools” project activity, the third phase of the AMORE Program seeks to assist the Philippine government in extending rural electrification services to currently unserved households in rural communities, with a focus on Mindanao. Through support for renewable energy education and training, AMORE 3 also seeks to advance clean energy capacity-building and workforce development.
Present in the signing ceremony were United States Ambassador Harry Thomas, Jr., Department of Energy Secretary Jose Ibazeta, Ms. Alyssa Newman from the SunPower Foundation, and Mr. William Howley from Winrock International.
