College of Engineering and Technology
TSU makes community’s dream of own school a reality
Maria Adelaida D. Calayag, OPIA
Balanti is a remote barangay in Tarlac City. High school students had to walk many kilometers through dusty unpave roads and muddy mountain trails just so they can attend classes.
But this is no longer the case. Thanks to the newly built Balanti Integrated School, which is close to where they live, getting an education is no longer a physical sacrifice and a hazard to life and limb.
Tarlac State University, through its extension services program for community development, has helped make Barangay Balanti’s dream of having its own high school come true.
On January 10, 2019 in a simple ceremony, the six-classroom BIS building was turned over to school officials. Charity Soliman-Lacsamana and her family, the Solimans, donated the 1.2-hectare lot on which the building was constructed. Mrs. Lacsamana in her speech, thanked TSU for its contribution in the success of the project.
A few years earlier, she wrote the TSU President, Dr. Myrna Q. Mallari, a letter requesting assistance in the development of the facilities in the school, which was then a Day Care Center housed in a dilapidated building.
Dr. Arnel A. Punla, was then the dean of the College of Technology, visited the school and discovered educational facilities are lacking. Through TSU, the school obtained eight tables and 32 chairs. The electrical wiring of the school building was also repaired, and its walls and the stage outside it had a new paint courtesy of the students of the TSU College of Architecture and Fine Arts. The Department of Education and Senator Bam C. Aquino made the construction of the six classrooms possible.
In February 2017, Engr. Leonides A. Tatu and Engr. Randy Policarpio, both from the TSU College of Engineering, were tapped to conduct a field survey for the preparation of the high school’s site development plan.
Lacsamana said many elementary school graduates of Balanti stopped going to school because the barangay had no high school and the nearest one was many kilometers away.
She said the few students who opted to continue with their high school education would walk long distances or cross rivers to attend school. The situation inspired Mrs. Lacsamana to donate a lot where prospects for students can became brighter with the new Balanti Integrated School, she said.
At present, there are 24 Grade 7 and 24 Grade 8 students enrolled in BIS.
Technical Assistance on Design Conceptualization and Cost Estimation of Water
Brgy. San Clemente, Tarlac
June 1 – November 30, 2019
|
Beneficiary |
Aeta Community at Sitio Sikat, San Clemente, Tarlac |
|
Type of Service |
Professional Assistance |
|
Extension Service Providers |
Engr. Randy G. Policarpio (Technical Consultant) Engr. Leonides A. Tatu (Technical Consultant) Engr. Ryan M. Layug (Technical Consultant) Engr. Murphy P. Mohammed (Technical Consultant) Engr. Marie Wendy J. Frany (Technical Consultant) Engr. Romeo B. Pulmano (Technical Consultant) Engr. Ferdinand E. Angeles (Technical Consultant) Engr. Edwin L. Dela Vega (Technical Consultant) Engr. Susa Nina A. Sapad (Technical Consultant) Engr. Emy L. Vasquez (Technical Consultant) Engr. Neil Andrew I. Meneses (Technical Consultant) |
|
Hours |
296 |
Preparation of Master Drainage Plan of Brgy. Balbalato, Victoria, Tarlac Phase III
Brgy. Balbalato, Victoria, Tarlac
June 25 – June 27, 2019
|
Beneficiary |
LGU of Victoria, Tarlac |
|
Type of Service |
Professional Assistance |
|
Extension Service Providers |
Engr. Murphy P. Mohammed (Technical Consultant) Engr. Marie Wendy J. Frany (Technical Consultant) Engr. Romeo B. Pulmano (Technical Consultant) Engr. Ferdinand E. Angeles (Technical Consultant) Engr. Edwin L. Dela Vega (Technical Consultant) Engr. Susa Nina A. Sapad (Technical Consultant) Engr. Emy L. Vasquez (Technical Consultant) Engr. Consolacion S. Lagman (Technical Consultant) |
|
Hours |
296 |
INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
CET-IE Department expands extension services beyond city limits
Jay Ann L. Pablo, UESO
Faculty experts of the College of Engineering and Technology (CET) particularly the Industrial Engineering Department is now expanding its extension services to the micro food processors of Tarlac to the other provinces of Region 3, specifically, Pampanga and Bataan. Engr. Don Hero P. Alega, Engr. Jayriz D. Dungca, and Engr. Anna M. Angeles were tapped to produce a Good Manufacturing Practices- floor plan and production layout for the processing area of Betty’s Native Cakes of Tarlac, Pines Brownies and Delicacies of Pampanga, and Chick’en Go of Bataan in compliance to the required standard of Food and Drug Administration- License to Operate.
For the time being, Mr. Aljon N. Lusong of UESO, assisted the faculty experts in the production layout and flow improvement compliant to Administrative Order No. 153 s. 2014 also known as the Revised Guidelines on Current Good Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Packing, Repacking or Holding Food. On September 13, 2019 the faculty experts proposed the production layout plan and were commended by the outputs. This is to align the goal of the micro food processors of acquiring LTO certification, and to enter in the corporate market.
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
The increasing demand of a green energy solution for Rehoboth Children’s Home, Inc.
Engr. Maan B. Florendo, CET
The Rehoboth Children’s Home, Inc. (RCHI) is a Christian child-care institution in Sta. Maria Camiling, Tarlac that provides both social intervention and a community-based educational assistance program to the orphaned and abandoned children. True to its mission “to promote a wholesome development of the Filipino disadvantaged children, youth and families by providing appropriate services to become responsible and productive citizens”, the institution implements services and programs to their residents which include health and dietary services, educational services, socio-recreational services, home life services, Christian values formation, life skills enhancement, productivity/skills enhancement/employment and partnership.
With these comprehensive services and programs along with the growing population of the institution, RCHI faces limitations in achieving their mission due to inadequate fund since it is also a non-stock and non- government corporation. The RCHI’s board of the directors’ strategic plan to address the growing problem is by installing a solar photovoltaic (PV) rooftop system to power the electric loads of the institution as majority of their funds is being spent on electricity bills.
The partnership with the team of engineers of TSU
New to the solar PV rooftop system, RCHI thought about seeking the technical assistance of the experts of Tarlac State University (TSU) in the design and installation of the PV system. The Electrical and Electronics Engineers of TSU prepared the project proposal upon the receipt of the request of RCHI and was approved by the TSU Extension Office (UESO). The project was directed by a methodology in the design and installation of solar PV system for residential consumers developed by the engineers of TSU. The following activities of the project were distributed to the team of engineers of TSU namely: design analysis - Engr. Crispin I. Flora and Engr. Ferdinand L. Marcos, material specification and cost estimation- Engr. Enalyn T. Domingo and Engr. Miriam S. Galvez, installation and testing- Engr. Don Louie A. Sanvictores and Engr. Idris Jeffrey M. Manguera, electrical layout and drafting and preparation of the technical reports- Engr. Maan B. Florendo and Engr. Cid L. Lapuz. The project was spearheaded by Engr. Ferdinand L. Marcos.
Further than the completion of the said undertakings, the team aimed to involve the institution in the entire solar PV rooftop system design and installation process, from planning to evaluation. The team understands that they will not be with the institution to help them forever, so they make sure that RCHI, or at least the executive director and the social workers, are involved in every development of the project and understands the basic principle of the solar PV rooftop system.
The challenges
There is no ideal progress in a project especially in engineering which has always constraints to consider. The project started with an assessment of the RCHI load requirements and interview with the client. It was revealed that the institution has limited budget and they want to have a back-up power source in case of power interruption. Although the requirement of the client was to be independent on the electricity grid, the team showed the client other options where they can achieve their goal with minimal cost while opening an opportunity to generate excess electricity and to be sold in the local distribution utility.
Without neglecting the client’s request, the team still prepared and presented the pros and cons of the cost estimates of the different types of solar PV rooftop system. These are grid-tied, off-grid and hybrid systems that could accommodate different amount of loads of RCHI. The team discussed and enlightened the client that tapping onto the utility grid for electricity and energy storage is significantly cheaper and more practical than using battery banks. The batteries and other stand-alone auxiliary devices in a hybrid system or off-grid system add costs and maintenance. The team suggested a grid-tied solar PV rooftop system with power rating higher than the current load of RCHI to accommodate its future loads since RCHI load trend is increasing based from the assessment of its historical data. The client agreed on the recommendations of the team and proceeded in the design and installation process.
The implementation
The optimum design of the team based from the total daily power demand of RCHI of 1KWh and from some physical and economic constraints was a 1.050 kWp DC/ 1.5kW AC grid-tied solar PV rooftop system which consisted of 3-350Wp multicrystalline solar PV modules series connected with a 1.5 Kw inverter. The designed system can accommodate ideally up to 150% rating of its rating which gives allowance for future increase of loads of the client.
Although it took a while to raise the budget requirement and the selection of the supplier, the implementation of the design of the solar PV rooftop system proceeded. Also, the supplier approved the request of the team to include the client in their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects of their company by servicing the installation of the solar PV system for free since the client is a non-profit organization. The team verified the schedule of works of the supplier and monitored the implementation of the system during the mobilization of the PV equipment up to the commissioning and testing. The team advised the optimum location of the solar PV panels, ensured the security of the inverter and verified if the wiring and insulation used were compliant in the safety standards of the Philippine Electrical Code (PEC).
Application of net metering and its legal context
The first incentive mechanism in the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 of Department of Energy (DOE) which is fully implemented with the release of its rules and standards in 2013 is the net metering. The scheme initiated the first step of “a paradigm shift from the traditional generation to distribution scheme towards individual and community based distributed on-site power generation” according to DOE. It opens the electricity market to every on-grid consumer to generate up to 100 kW solar energy, utilize it and sell the excess power to the local distribution grid.
With the realization of the campaign of DOE and its benefits to the consumers, RCHI decided to participate in the net metering. After the installation of the solar PV system, RCHI current meter should be replaced by a bi-directional meter that measures both the imported and exported energy of the system installed. The necessary documents must be completed and submitted to the electric utility of the area. The team provided technical assistance in providing an updated electrical plan of the solar PV system duly signed and sealed by a professional electrical engineer.
A partnership to battle climate change
The team is continually in partnership with RCHI and about to start the second phase of the project which includes the cost-benefit analysis of the system. However, the team believed that such technical analysis doesn’t capture the holistic value of a solar energy investment. The utilization of energy from the sun extends its benefits far beyond from a consumer’s home. The RCHI now could do its part to combat climate change by reducing harmful air pollution and carbon emissions of the country’s current energy system by generating clean renewable energy for its children and sharing the excess generated energy with the community.
Realizing the full value of the policies and efforts of the government in the paradigm shift to renewable community based distributed on-site power generation, installation of solar PV rooftop system is a worthwhile investment and today some homebuilders include solar PV rooftop system as a standard feature on new homes.
Technical Consultancy on Electrical System of PENRO
San Jose, Tarlac
August 1 – September 30, 2019
|
Beneficiary |
Mechanized and Modernized Forest Nursery of PENRO |
|
Type of Service |
Technical Consultancy |
|
Extension Service Providers |
Engr. Crispin I Flora (Technical Consultant) Engr. Ferdinand L. Marcos (Technical Consultant) Engr. Rafael R. Yumul (Technical Consultant) Engr. Maan B. Florendo (Technical Consultant) |
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Hours |
160 |
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
Technical Assistance in the Design and Fabrication of Customized Molder-Cutter
Zone 5, Maliwalo, Tarlac City
March 13 – May 30, 2018
|
Beneficiary |
Golden Crown Petals and Herbs |
|
Type of Service |
Technical Consultancy |
|
Extension Service Providers |
Engr. Adam F. Rombaoa (Technical Consultant) Engr. Ann Jeanette S. Lopez (Technical Consultant) |
|
Hours |
136 |
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Training on Shielded Metal Arc Welding
Brgy. Care, Tarlac City
June 1 – July 30, 2019
|
Beneficiary |
Sitio Paquillao Brgy. Care, Tarlac City |
|
Type of Service |
Skills Training |
|
Extension Service Providers |
Engr. Arnel A. Punla (Trainer) Engr. Bryan Christopher C. Sico (Trainer) Eng. Larry A. Suboc (Trainer) |
|
Participants |
27 |
|
Hours |
64 |
Design and Fabrication of Library Bookshelves
Brgy. Balanti, Tarlac City
March 25 – April 13, 2019
|
Beneficiary |
Balanti Elementary and Integrated School |
|
Type of Service |
Professional Assistance |
|
Extension Service Providers |
Engr. Arnel A. Punla (Consultant, Fabricator) Engr. Bryan Christopher C. Sico (Consultant, Fabricator) Eng. Larry A. Suboc (Consultant, Fabricator) Engr. John Nelson Y. Punla (Consultant, Fabricator) |
|
Hours |
48 |