A Day Trip In Tanay : The Pililla Wind Farm
We left Cubao around 5 in the morning and it took us around 4 hours to reach our first destination, the wind farm of Plillia, Rizal. Yes, Ilocos is not the only place to find those gigantic windmills and you don’t need to travel that far just to marvel the beauty of these enormous structures. The so-called windfarm is located in Rizal which is just one ride away from Manila.
I cannot help myself but to marvel the beauty of these amazing windmills indeed. I have never been to Ilocos and I have never seen their windfarm upclose so seeing a series of gigantic windmills here in Pilliia is nothing more but mesmerizing. It is very interesting to note that the company behind the Pililla Windfarm is the same company that operates the windmills in Bangui, Ilocos Norte.
The wind farm is operated by Alternergy Philippines Holding Corporation. The project includes 27 wind turbine generators covering the 4,515 hectares of land in Pililla. Pililla is a first class municipality in Rizal and is located in the southern tip of the province which borders Laguna. The wind farm in particular is located on the plains of Barangay Halayhayin which is 300 meters above the sea level.
The construction of the windfarm started in 2013 after the APHC was awarded the exclusive right to operate the wind power project in 2008. The wind farm in Pililla is considered as the first ever Luzon-based windfarm outside Ilocos Norte. Each of the wind turbine is capable of generating 2MW , an amount that is good enough to mitigate at least 250k Kilogram of CO2. The whole farm is capable of producing 150 Gigawatt hours of electricity yearly which is powerful enough to supply electricity for more than 66,000 households continuously.
So why is Pililla a perfect choice to construct a Wind farm? According to the information I got from their Infocenter, Pililla rings Laguna de Bay and is part of a natural wind corridor created by unique geographical features surrounding the lake which includes tall mountains and its proximity to the sea. Based on the average monthly wind speed data, Pililla’s windspeed can be as high as 36 km/h which makes the town a perfect candidate for a wind farm.
We arrived at the venue around 8 am and the weather was seemingly not cooperating with us. It started to drizzle which gave us limited time to explore the place but we were able to get enough time to marvel the beauty of this place. The place is also a great spot to witness the stunning Laguna De Bay.
Those who have been to Bangui will definitely make comparisons to those windmills in Pililla but I actually found no reason to do so. The ones in Pililla are relatively small because the place is already high and the wind turbines do not requires any elevation. As far as the scenery is concerned, Pililla and the Bangui both offers stunning yet entirely different perspective. The Bangui windmills are located near the shore which provides a more engaging scenery. On top of that, the Bangui windmills are perfectly aligned which gives photographers a great chance to capture them all in one shot.
Pililla Windfarm, on the other hand, has a different appeal. For me, it feels like Pililla Wind farm is more of a “Land fortress” while Bangui is the “water kingdom” haha (Sorry, just a big fan of RPG and towe defense games here haha).
Pililla Wind Farm is undeniably another great place in Rizal to marvel. This is more than just a tourist destination because this wind turbines are beneficial for the residents of Rizal who are being supplied by the electricity coming from these wind power generators. 
A rainbow spotted while embracing the view of the Laguna De Bay! Probably the sign that the rain is over and we will have a great tour ahead!
How to get to Pililla Rizal via Public Transport?
From Starmall Crossing, you can ride a van going to Tanay and they will drop you off to the Tanay Town proper (the public market). Once you get to the Tanay town proper, you can ride a tricycle that can charter you up to the wind farm. It is quite costly though since it is not going to be an easy ride. You will pass through a very rough road
What to expect?
Going to Pililla Wind farm will of course give you the chance to marvel the beauty of these gigantic wind turbines. In addition to that, you will also get a chance to witness the stunning view of Laguna De Bay. The place also has a visitor center that provides you some relevant information about the site and Pililla. It also has a cafe. Some smal sari-sari stores can be spotted nearby as well. Take note, the entrance to Pililla wind farm is free!
What to Buy in Pililla Wind Farm!
Souvenirs! Yes, they are located nearby. There are small keychains that are merely inspired from the wind turbines, ref magnets, ballpens, mugs, shirts, and a whole lot more that promotes the humble town of Pililla.
After the Pililla Wind farm, we headed to our next destination, the historical Tanay Church!
In case you are planning to stay in Rizal for a day or two, you can check the list of affordable and “budgetarian” Hotels in the link below!
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Here are the links to the rest of my Tanay escapade: Feel free to visit the links below
► Pililla Wind Farm
► Tanay Church (San Ildefonso de Toledo Parish)
► The Parola of Tanay
► Regina RICA
► The Calinawan Cave
► The Daranak Falls
► The Batlag Falls
I’ve been to Ilocos and the windmills along the shore are just amazing. Yes they are big! But i do admire the ones in Kapurpurawan area.. they are most stunning. The Pililla Windmills seems to be very promising. Ive heard that the road to Pililla is kinda rough? Is it true? Coz im planning to get there! Apart from the windmills where else can i go in Tanay? The itinerary good for just a day tour will be awesome para isang lakad nalang! 🙂
Wow, I didn’t know that Tanay has these windmills. The one I have visited in Ilocos was truly looking beautiful and really majestic. But this one in Tanay, I love how they are being rested on the green hills at appears to be more stunning. The rainbow is beautiful and your pictures are really amazing. I wish we had this one in Cebu, hopefully soon.
So we actually have two wind farms to visit. Ang nakakaloko is that the one I have personally seen was the wind farm in Shanghai and a city nearby where there are many manufacturers making them.
Because the wind is needed, any turbine has got to be located with a scenic view. That is a guarantee. Even the small ones that can be put up within the city for small scale private use (this will be the trend in the future) will have at least a view of the neighborhood.
I am glad our country is now embracing this source of clean energy. I had my fill of seeing so many wind turbines in Denmark and I wish wind turbines planted offshore would be the next aim of our leaders in the country. I hope one day, our energy costs will be lower and the energy sources be cleaner. Why did it take you 4 hours to reach the place by the way? Is it really that far from Cubao?
Hey fellow travel blogger! 🙂 I love your blog, and your entry about Tanay. True enough, there are so many hidden gems in the Philippines that many are unaware of. I have been to Rizal a few times, but not in Tanay. I didn’t even know that there are windmills there! So spot on with this entry! Thanks for sharing your trip… Love the photos! I just really hope that transpo in PH will get better… Imagine what else you could have done with that 4 traveling hours… 🙂
These windmills are great. I’ve seen quite a few here in the Netherlands as well. I think the Netherlands is a bit known for it. Very interesting to read about this windfarm. I had no clue Pililla was so perfect for a windfarm. I love the souvenirs. It’s awesome that they have so many things related to the wind mills.
Windfarms are great. When we were in Denmark and in The Netherlands we were able to visit and usually we see them only from far away but when you are there seeing them up close it’s really great and it is also a good learning experience.
I love the windmills at Pillilla Wind Farm! This is one of my pending backlogs, lol. I’m glad the place is recently getting blogged and noticed. Love those souvenirs, too! I actually bought some, hehe 🙂
I love windmills! I find them so helpful especially in the conservation of energy. Going here instead of Ilocos could let you save so many hours of just sitting down on a bus or a car trip. The view is breath-taking and I guess this deserves to be a tourist destination as well!
Ever since I found out about the wind farm in Tanay, I have always wanted to visit it since it is way much easier to go there instead of traveling all the way to Bangui. They sure are lovely and such a sight to behold. I sure hope I can visit the place with my boys one of these days. It looks like a trip to Tanay will be well worth it as there are a number of interesting places to see. Oh, and I absolutely love to have one of those Pililla windmills replica! ^_^
It was nice to stumble upon your blog again! The windmills are so admiring. You know, i havent seen any of it yet in person. Didnt know there is a windmill in Tanay. I’d consider visiting this place. 🙂
Ah, I’ve been to Bangui Wind Farm in Ilocos and well my experience was it was great. Tanay’s Pililla Wind Farm seems like an interesting place to visit as well. The wind mill souvenirs are exactly the same with the ones I saw in Ilocos. Cute.
Great that this windmill location is a tourist destination. I always thought these are out of bound areas for public. I agree with you that seeing such a gigantic windmill so close can be mesmerizing. Science children will benefit the most visiting them.
Wow, the windmills and scenery are gorgeous. I’m sorry to hear it drizzled while you were here, that always sucks. I never thought about this being a tourist destination before!
Ps. I love the layout of your blog. 🙂
We were visiting Antipolo and Tanay when i brought up the idea of the Pililla Windmills… My husband who was driving said that it will just take about an hour to get there… He was familiar with the area being a contractor who frequented Rizal and Laguna. With the use of waze we sure were guided and we were amazed when we reached the place seeing the windmills lined atop the hills up close and personal… It was a very hot May day but the strong wind on the hill lessened the heat and with the view of Laguna de Bay below made that experience with family and friends truly worthwhile… It would surely be a different kind of tourist attraction… I recommend and as suggested by the locals to go up the hill for a closer view of the windmills… And souvenirs like miniature replica of the windmill in different sizes are also available at the entrance. I bought a ref magnet as my souvenir..
how is the commute going back to tanay proper?