MTerra Solar’s high efficiency technology immersed in the community

“Reliable and affordable electricity for Filipinos, community-immersed energy project. This is our vision coupled with innovation and collaboration among many stakeholders, we have delivered Phase 1 and MTerra Solar will deliver more toward a growth –oriented, economically-resilient and more energy-independent Philippines.”

-- Emmanuel Rubio, president and CEO, Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGEN).

Last Tuesday, I joined a group of local media who attended the inauguration of Meralco Terra Solar Phase 1 in Gapan, Nueva Ecija. It was a big event with President Marcos and the First Lady as main guests. Before entering the event hall, they toured the wide facility via presidential chopper, then visited the main control room and headed to the main hall. In his keynote speech, the President expressed high optimism about the current and future contribution of the project to the country’s economic and energy resilience.

Meralco chairman and CEO and also MGEN chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan or MVP gave a short but inspiring message that “the world’s largest integrated solar and battery storage facility located in a single site… rises not in Texas, not in the Gobi Desert but right here in Gapan, Nueva Ecija.”

Solar power is a fast-growing energy source in many countries in the world. I computed the implied capacity factor (ICF) of solar power in several countries in 2025 using the basic formula:

ICF in percent = (generation in GWH) / (24 hours/day x 365 days x installed capacity in GW) x 100.

The respective units below are: solar generation in terawatt-hours (TWH); installed capacity, photovoltaic (PV) plus concentrated solar power (CSP) if any in megawatts (MW), and computed ICF in percent. And here are the numbers by country:

(1) Total World: 2,811.1 TWH; 2,391,584 MW; 13.4 percent.

(2) America. US: 392.7; 211,610; 21.2; Brazil, 88.0; 64,692; 15.5; Mexico: 27.1; 12,929; 24.0; Canada: 9.0; 5,931; 17.4.

(3) Europe. Germany: 91.6; 106,272; 9.8; Spain: 64.5; 47,206; 15.6; Italy: 46.5; 41,188; 12.9; France: 32.5; 31,226; 11.9;

Netherlands: 25.5; 25,878; 11.3; Poland: 23.7; 25,421; 10.6;

UK: 20.0; 21,662; 10.5; Belgium: 10.5; 10,398; 11.5.

(4) Asia. China: 1,173.2; 1,202,179; 11.1; India: 168.6: 135,502; 14.2; Japan: 110.8; 92,211; 13.7; South Korea: 37.9; 30,346; 14.2; Vietnam: 33.8; 19,252; 20.1; Taiwan: 16.0; 15,474; 11.8: Thailand: 10.0; 6,842; 16.7; Malaysia: 6.6; 3,074; 24.7; Philippines: 4.8; 3,892; 14.0.

So the global average ICF is only 13.4 percent, the Philippines has 14 percent. China has the largest solar generation but US and Mexico have the highest ICF, perhaps because they have huge CSP plants.

MTerra Solar when completed will have 3,500 MW peak capacity with 4,500 MWh of battery energy storage system (BESS). Phase 1 that was inaugurated has 1,373 MW already energized of PV capacity and 825 MW of battery storage equivalent to 3,300 MWh. That makes it the largest operational solar plus battery facility on a single site worldwide.

The project is designed for mid-merit, with a minimum commitment of 45 percent capacity factor. Wow.

Imagine that, the Philippines’ solar ICF based on 2025 data is only 14 percent but MTerra Solar will have thrice that number. The key is the huge BESS facility, helps avoid a “duck curve” of high supply and low price at daytime then low supply and high price at nighttime. The BESS will help flatten the curve and the price by dispatching at night the surplus solar output at daytime and raising the overall capacity factor of the project.

For me this is the single biggest technological innovation and contribution of MTerra Solar. That alone tempers my skepticism about solar technology.  The other things I saw about the project are the following.

“Reliable and affordable electricity for Filipinos, community-immersed energy project. This is our vision coupled with innovation and collaboration among many stakeholders, we have delivered Phase 1 and MTerra Solar will deliver more toward a growth –oriented, economically-resilient and more energy-independent Philippines.”

-- Emmanuel Rubio, president and CEO, Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGEN).

Last Tuesday, I joined a group of local media who attended the inauguration of Meralco Terra Solar Phase 1 in Gapan, Nueva Ecija. It was a big event with President Marcos and the First Lady as main guests. Before entering the event hall, they toured the wide facility via presidential chopper, then visited the main control room and headed to the main hall. In his keynote speech, the President expressed high optimism about the current and future contribution of the project to the country’s economic and energy resilience.

Meralco chairman and CEO and also MGEN chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan or MVP gave a short but inspiring message that “the world’s largest integrated solar and battery storage facility located in a single site… rises not in Texas, not in the Gobi Desert but right here in Gapan, Nueva Ecija.”

Solar power is a fast-growing energy source in many countries in the world. I computed the implied capacity factor (ICF) of solar power in several countries in 2025 using the basic formula:

ICF in percent = (generation in GWH) / (24 hours/day x 365 days x installed capacity in GW) x 100.

The respective units below are: solar generation in terawatt-hours (TWH); installed capacity, photovoltaic (PV) plus concentrated solar power (CSP) if any in megawatts (MW), and computed ICF in percent. And here are the numbers by country:

(1) Total World: 2,811.1 TWH; 2,391,584 MW; 13.4 percent.

(2) America. US: 392.7; 211,610; 21.2; Brazil, 88.0; 64,692; 15.5; Mexico: 27.1; 12,929; 24.0; Canada: 9.0; 5,931; 17.4.

(3) Europe. Germany: 91.6; 106,272; 9.8; Spain: 64.5; 47,206; 15.6; Italy: 46.5; 41,188; 12.9; France: 32.5; 31,226; 11.9;

Netherlands: 25.5; 25,878; 11.3; Poland: 23.7; 25,421; 10.6;

UK: 20.0; 21,662; 10.5; Belgium: 10.5; 10,398; 11.5.

(4) Asia. China: 1,173.2; 1,202,179; 11.1; India: 168.6: 135,502; 14.2; Japan: 110.8; 92,211; 13.7; South Korea: 37.9; 30,346; 14.2; Vietnam: 33.8; 19,252; 20.1; Taiwan: 16.0; 15,474; 11.8: Thailand: 10.0; 6,842; 16.7; Malaysia: 6.6; 3,074; 24.7; Philippines: 4.8; 3,892; 14.0.

So the global average ICF is only 13.4 percent, the Philippines has 14 percent. China has the largest solar generation but US and Mexico have the highest ICF, perhaps because they have huge CSP plants.

MTerra Solar when completed will have 3,500 MW peak capacity with 4,500 MWh of battery energy storage system (BESS). Phase 1 that was inaugurated has 1,373 MW already energized of PV capacity and 825 MW of battery storage equivalent to 3,300 MWh. That makes it the largest operational solar plus battery facility on a single site worldwide.

The project is designed for mid-merit, with a minimum commitment of 45 percent capacity factor. Wow.

Imagine that, the Philippines’ solar ICF based on 2025 data is only 14 percent but MTerra Solar will have thrice that number. The key is the huge BESS facility, helps avoid a “duck curve” of high supply and low price at daytime then low supply and high price at nighttime. The BESS will help flatten the curve and the price by dispatching at night the surplus solar output at daytime and raising the overall capacity factor of the project.

For me this is the single biggest technological innovation and contribution of MTerra Solar. That alone tempers my skepticism about solar technology.  The other things I saw about the project are the following.

One, many idle lands in the barrio about five kilometers before the project entrance, tall grasses and not rice fields. So the unhealthy land conversion from agriculture to solar does not seem to apply here.

Two, new streetlights in the barrio near the project, a new fire station with big firetrucks built and donated by MGEN for the rural communities. Rent-free market spaces for local entrepreneurs were also established.

Three, healthy grasses dominate the soil below the solar panels and I did not see farm animals to help control the weeds. I hope MGEN will dispatch sheep or other non-jumping farm animals to control the weeds while giving additional farm income to the workers.

Four, tall, huge and modern towers and pylons near the BESS area. They are connected to the transmission system of NGCP, stable electricity flowing through the transmission cables, little or no need for ancillary services and additional charges to consumers.

Talking about BESS and the daily yellow alerts in Visayas grid, I remember two weeks ago,  Aboitiz Power (AP) held a ground breaking ceremony for its 60-MW BESS in its Naga Power Plant complex in Cebu. This Naga BESS project will provide contingency and regulating reserve services that will support Visayas grid’s need to address fluctuations in electricity supply and demand.

The Naga plant complex was built by Napocor in the 1980s, was privatized and bought by AP in 2018. Then it was transformed from a thermal (coal and diesel) generation plant to energy storage, the thermal units were decommissioned and demolished.

As more variable RE with no battery are added in the grid, energy storage addresses the supply-demand  instability problem serving as fast-acting, short-term duration and grid-stabilizing assets and facility.

Finally, July 14 was also the 80th birthday of Mr. MVP. Eight decades of high caliber entrepreneurship and business leadership who built many businesses spanning energy, water, telecoms, tollroads, mining, agribusiness and media. Congratulations, happy birthday and more power, Sir.