Old solar panels find new purpose as community tables

MANILA, Philippines — Citicore Renewable Energy Corp. (CREC), a listed clean power producer, is making sure its old solar panels find a new purpose: providing the brightest tables in schools.

The company rolled out its EcoLoop, an initiative meant to repurpose end-of-life materials into assets that support CREC’s host communities.

READ: CREC secures P4-B loan for two solar farms

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While some solar panels could no longer generate electricity, CREC made a way to ensure they won’t go to waste.

Through a partnership with KamayManos PH, a sustainability-driven art and design collective, the group converted 20 decommissioned solar panels into 14 community tables.

These tables were donated to Pasong Bangkal Elementary School in San Ildefonso, Bulacan.

“EcoLoop expands the foundations of our sustainability initiatives by really thinking beyond the box,” CREC president and CEO Oliver Tan says.

READ: CREC profit rises 14% on solar power sales

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“As we continue to scale renewable energy, we also discover what more we can do with our waste materials, addressing community needs in tune with Citicore’s core values of environmental stewardship and innovation,” the official adds.

EcoLoop follows the success of EcoShed projects, which repurposed old solar panels and construction materials into community facilities, including waiting sheds, outposts and covered walkways. INQ