Solar Philippines brings 24/7 power to 12 towns

MANILA, Philippines — Solar Philippines is bringing 24/7 power to 12 towns across the country for the first time through its Solar Para Sa Bayan initiative.

In a statement, Solar Philippines said it is now completing hybrid mini-grids to deliver electricity at a lower cost to consumers, and at zero cost to the government, in towns that have never before received adequate electric service.

“This is in line with plans by Malacañang to issue an executive order to encourage private investment in rural electrification,” the company said, adding this is its response to President Duterte’s call for the private sector to contribute to ending energy poverty in the Philippines.

The company said an estimated 200,000 Filipinos will benefit from the projects in provinces that include Mindoro, Palawan, Masbate, Cagayan and Aurora. It added that this is the first time a private company will energize this many households at zero cost to the government.

“Our aim is not to make the most profit, but to help the greatest number of our fellow Filipinos. We hope all other stakeholders will likewise support such initiatives for the DOE to achieve its vision of ending energy poverty by 2022,” Solar Philippines president and CEO Leandro Leviste said.

Data from the Department of Energy show that over 2.3 million Filipino households still remain without electricity, while many more experience regular blackouts. This is despite the government and foreign development agencies’ efforts to subsidize rural electrification measures over the years.

In addition, the Department of Education said over 7,000 of its own schools lack electricity.

In March 2018, Solar Para Sa Bayan installed Southeast Asia’s largest solar-battery mini-grid in Paluan, Mindoro, bringing 24/7 power for the first time in the town. The project is the first in Asia to feature Powerpacks from Tesla, a leading supplier of batteries and electric vehicles.

The company now has mini-grids operating in several provinces, and has received requests from thousands of Filipinos to bring reliable electricity to their own towns.

“It is sad to learn of towns where development has been hindered by the lack of reliable electricity. We hope our projects, in towns such as Lubang, Dumaran, Claveria, Calayan, and Dingalan will help communities reach their full potential, and we are working overtime to ensure every town in the Philippines will enjoy the best service at the lowest cost as soon as possible,” Leviste said.

In June, Leviste said the company is eyeing to put up more microgrid projects in 10 locations, with a project cost estimated at around $15 million. Among the locations include Cagayan, Isabela, Batangas, Mindoro, Romblon, Masbate, Palawan and Davao.

The microgrid projects, which will include solar, battery and back-up diesel generators, will provide lower rates than what is currently offered under bilateral contracts since these will be subsidized by profits from its utility-scale solar projects.

He said the solar component would cost around $1 million per megawatt, $0.3 million per megawatt-hour for storage and around the same amount for diesel for a total of around $1.5 million for the whole project.

“We’re losing a decent amount of money initially. But if we can help these people out of poverty, power demand will increase and the towns will become a viable market,” Leviste said.