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Pacman joins inventor to solve current crisis
Filipino boxing icon and politician Manny Pacquiao, is working with a Canadian inventor to solve a power crisis in his homeland.
Pacquiao aka The Pacman, is attempting to bring a new way of producing hydroelectric energy in his native Philippines with a rolling drum-like device called the Waterotor.
The Waterotor, created by Fred Ferguson, CEO of the Ottawa-based Waterotor Energy Technologies, is capable of harnessing energy from water currents moving at just one to six miles per hour and converting into electricity.
The Philippines, a 7,107-island archipelago in Southeast Asia has perennial power problems and blackouts because of transmission and distribution failures, the lack of domestic energy production and a challenging geography.
According to the World Bank, there are more than 15 million people in the Philippines without electricity.
Nothing has been finalized, but Ferguson and Pacquiao are reportedly considering a deal valued at $100 million in The Philippines
“I think it’s going to end up as a joint venture between [Ferguson] and us,” said Pacquiao’s advisor, Michael Koncz, according to the Ottawa Citizen.
“It’s a tremendous help, because there are still a lot of people, especially in [Pacquiao’s] region of Sarangani, that don’t have electricity. So this will be our pilot project to expand it throughout Asia.”
Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 knockouts) will return to the ring on Nov. 24 in Macau (Nov. 23 in the western hemisphere) in Macau, China, against rising junior welterweight Brandon Rios (31-1, 23 KOs).
Pacquiao has lost two straight fights by split-decision to WBO 147-pound belt to Tim Bradley in June, and, by sixth-round knockout to four-division titlewinner Juan Manuel Marquez last December.
Waterotor Energy Technologies Inc. (W.E.T.) developed Waterotor to produce continuous sustainable renewable electrical energy from slowly flowing water, states the company’s website.
High efficiency is obtained from water flowing at only a few miles per hour in rivers, estuaries, and oceans. With Waterotor’s unique capability, millions of waterways on a global scale that have heretofore been untapped are now available for energy extraction. Being highly adaptable, Waterotor can also be used in a host of industrial and commercial applications in developed regions, the company states.
According to media reports, Ferguson claims that “the device is the only one in the world that can achieve a high level of energy efficiency at these speeds.”
Ferguson has invented 10 and 20 kilowatt units, adding that the latter could power about 10 homes per year at the North American standard of energy consumption.
The initial Waterotors are easily transportable, generating 20 kilowatts of electricity in a variety of flow conditions and locations resulting in broad and economical market applications. A Waterotor, total cost breakout, results in electricity produced for as low as 3 cents per kilowatt hour.
Over 5 years and $14 million have gone into the refined design/development to achieve these current successes, as we now move to license world class manufacturers and ‘first market’ deliverables, according to the company.
While this initial investment would provide power for 15-20,000 people, Ferguson explained the Philippine government would also like to license the product so they can manufacturer the Waterotor themselves. He said they eventually plan to operate 10,000 units.
A spokesman for the Philippine embassy in Ottawa said he was not aware of a deal to bring Ferguson’s invention to the island nation, but he said the government is actively pursuing different ways of providing electricity for those without, the Citizen reported
Bleacherreport.com said the eight-division boxing world champion Pacquiao has started early training in the Philippines to prepare for his upcoming fight against Mexican-American Brandon Rios on Nov. 24 in Macau, China.
Pacquiao is coming off a split-decision loss to Palm Springs boxing sensation Timothy Bradley last June followed by a devastating knockout loss to Mexican counter-puncher Juan Manuel Marquez last December.
Despite the successive losses, Pacquiao has remained popular as millions of his fans around the world await his ring return after almost a year of inactivity.
In his last two fights, Pacquiao has made no less than $20 million in guaranteed prizes, which excludes shares in the pay-per-view sales.
Pacquiao, a Filipino congressman, has told ESPN he will continue fighting as long as he remains physically fit and he feels he is good for two or three more fights after the Rios match.
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