How it Began
In the summer of 2009, a group of Villanova students and faculty from the engineering and business schools took a trip to Ifugao, a province in the north of the Philippines (see map below). This area was identified by a Villanova faculty member, Jordan Ermilio, who served there in the Peace Corp for two years. Through his contacts and the efforts of his students, a partnership was formed between Villanova and Save the Ifugao Rice Terraces Movement (SITMo), a local NGO that focuses on community development and protecting the local culture. The goal of this assessment trip was to learn about the area, culture, and history and identify the needs of the local community. Together, the engineering and business schools searched for local entrepreneurs and innovators, with the plan to aid in technology development through engineering student projects and improve their businesses.
Past Projects
One of the projects identified during this time was to rehabilitate an existing micro hydro electric power station in the small village of Maggok, located in Kiangan, Ifugao. The village of Maggok consists of about 100 homes and lays a three hour hike from the nearest road. The inaccessibility of the village to the nearest town makes it difficult to transport goods or to commute to better jobs. Most of the residents live off of farming with some support from family members that have better jobs in other countries. All the children that manage to finish school and make it to college do not return home due to lack of opportunities within the village. Therefore, the standard of living in the community is at a standstill. There are many communities like this in the Philippines specifically in the mountainous region of Ifugao where roads are very hard to build.
The existing system was built by a British engineer with initiatives started by the local people in the community. It was rated at 25 kW, but due to poor maintenance and lack of appropriate equipment and necessary funding, it only produced about 5kW. Due to the constant blackouts and electricity shortages, electricity could only be used for lighting with the occasional radio or television. This presented the opportunity for a senior design project, where a team of Villanova engineers would design a new turbine and load control system. Once the designs were completed, local manufacturers were contracted to construct these designs. Within a year and a half, a new powerhouse was constructed and the new system was installed and functioning.
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| System Before Rehabilitation |
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| New Turbine Disassembled |
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| New Turbine Assembled |
