Skip to main content

GQNC Road Trip: Windmills

It's been a long time since the GQNC barkada went on a road trip. The last one I was in was when we went to Daranak Falls in Tanay, Rizal. Back then, there were only two cars; the rest traveled by motorbike. This time, however, we were in a convoy of four cars! Kuya Jun, Ate Lucy, Ana, and I were all driving! Well, actually, Kuya Ferdie was driving Ana's car throughout the trip. Because I had a webinar the night before, I promised to bring up the rear as the sweeper, catching up with them when I was ready.

A photo posted by Rochie Cuevas (@rochiecuevas) on

For this trip, we were going back to Rizal province. But instead of just going to Daranak Falls, we were also going to Pililla, where a wind farm is located. We've been staring at the wind turbines from windows in the lab on clear days and I was just stoked to see them up close, finally! The last time I've approached any windmill was when Ate Bing and I went to Bangui, Ilocos Norte. And I was overwhelmed then because the windmills were right on the beach, where the surf was intimidating... I thought there was a rip tide there. And the other tourists also didn't step in the water despite being in the beach.

So, while driving towards Pililla, I was in the car with Krishna, Cindy, and Jojie. When the windmills first came into view, the girls just lost it and started screaming and pointing at the windmills. I felt excited to but since I was driving, I had to keep my eyes on the road... no looking at the windmills... yet. Eventually, I had my first glance at them. That excitement grew as we came closer because more and more windmills came to view. On our final turn into the farm, there were just too many of them; we didn't know which one to look at first!

Out of the car, we started walking on the uphill gravel road. That's when we realised why the farm was placed there: there was a lot of wind. The strong, laminar type too. The wind appeared to stay in one direction but we're not supposed to fly kites there. Maybe it's because the lines might get tangled in the turbines. Oh, well. It's okay. I was there for the sights and the windmills anyway.


And what a sight! We were on what appeared to be the top of a mountain with a view of Laguna de Bay and surrounded by 27 windmills. 

I felt happy seeing these windmills because aside from the curiosity that I had been nursing, I am also proud that the Philippines is dead set on reducing its dependency on fossil fuel for energy generation. We are moving towards clean energy. A lot of organisations have made this project possible. Many of them are private companies, I think. But there are a lot of government organisations too. We are really developing into a country invested in alternative energy sources. 


Despite all the advantages of wind farming, I wonder if there are cons to this technology too. I mean, use of turbines changes the wind patterns right? Would the movement of pollen, pollinators, and birds be affected by changes in wind patterns brought about by the turning of the windmills? What happens to the rate of energy generated when a strong typhoon barrels through the area? I have absolutely no knowledge about this, admittedly, and I'm sure that the experts have taken these concerns into consideration.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for dropping by!

Before moving on, please share your thoughts or comments about the post. :)

Thanks again!

Popular posts from this blog

10 things I learned while driving on Marcos Highway to Baguio City

I went on a day trip to the City of Pines, which was around a 700-km drive from my house. I drove  going up there and then from the city to Victoria, Tarlac. After that, my dad took over the driving duties. It was day trip with Tita Ising and Tito Sibing with us. Anyway, this trip was my first time to go to Baguio City with me behind the wheel. As everyone who drives up knows, there are three main routes to Baguio from the lowlands: Kennon Road, which ascends from Rosario, La Union. It was out of my options because it's too dangerous to use that road in the rainy season. The second route is via Naguilian Road, which makes my trip a lot longer because the beginning of the ascent is in Bauang, La Union (further north). The last route, and the one I took, was the Marcos Highway, now known as the Aspiras-Palispis Highway. This 47-km road starts from Agoo, La Union and is touted as the safest route among the three.  As I drove up and then down (on the same day; we were in Bagu
5 comments
Read more

How MALDI-TOF-MS makes mycobacterium diagnosis faster and more accurate

The laboratory I work in has plenty of instruments that help us characterise and identify microorganisms causing diseases in patients. One of my current projects is to validate an instrument called "matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometer" (MALDI-TOF-MS) in identifying members of the Mycobacterium  species. Many of these organisms are opportunistic, meaning they only cause illnesses in people whose immune systems are not strong enough to fight infections. Mycobacterium leprae  is known for causing leprosy, but we cannot grow this bacterium in culture media, so we cannot isolate it. Mycobacterium tuberculosis  complex, on the other hand, is a group of several species of Mycobacterium  that causes tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is a disease that killed 1.6 million people in 2021 alone. It is a leading cause of death globally, second only to COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Identifying the Mycobacterium species that has infected a patient is
Post a Comment
Read more

a crash course on traditional Filipino houses

On Dr Jose Rizal's birthday this year, I was back in historic Manila with Ate Bing, Ate Mary , and Manuel . But instead of visiting him, we opted to soak up on Philippine culture. Our first stop: the Cultural Center of the Philippines ' (CCP) Museo ng Kalinangang Pilipino .  Aside from the musical instruments, I noticed the dioramas about Filipino homes. Filipinos living by the sea (the 'sea gypsies', Sama Dilaut or Badjao ) have boathouses; those who live in the mountains, like the Bagobos , have developed interconnected houses in the trees; Filipinos who live along the path of the strongest typhoon winds, such as the Ivatans , have developed houses of thick limestone walls; and people who live in calmer conditions used bamboo and nipa to construct their houses, like the lowlanders and the Agtas . Sama Dilaut 'lepa' and houses on stilts (in the background) Ivatan limestone house nipa hut Ifugao 'fale' Maranao '
Post a Comment
Read more