Robinsons Iloilo switches to solar

MANILA, Philippines – Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC), the property unit of the Gokongwei Group, has partnered with Solenergy Systems Inc. to convert Robinsons Iloilo’s rooftop into a solar plant.

Robinsons Iloilo is the second RLC mall to utilize solar power following Robinsons Place Palawan, which also has a solar rooftop supplied by another company, Solar Philippines.

The latest project is a 613-kilowatt peak solar power system completed by Solenergy. It is comprised of 2,404 pieces of solar panels mounted on the mall’s rooftop, making it the largest grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) installation in the city of Iloilo.

According to Solenergy, the system is expected to generate 815 megawatt hours of energy a year and mitigate 490 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.

Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog who led the recent ceremonial launch of the system welcomed RLC efforts to create an environment-friendly facility.

“These types of projects complement our calls for promotion of renewable energy sources in the city,” said general manager for Corporate Energy Cesar Camaongay.

He said RLC prioritized its rooftop solar projects to retail centers in the region due to the high cost of power in the Visayas.

Aside from offsetting peak loads during the day, the added layer of solar panels on the roof will also improve the mall’s cooling load, Solenergy said.

In terms of savings, the solar installation is expected to generate savings of around P1 million a month.

Robinsons Place Iloilo’s solar installation is composed of top-tier components from leading solar technology manufacturers Canadian Solar Inc. and Fronius International GmbH.

Solenergy also provided Fronius’ monitoring system where real-time yield and system data can be viewed online.

Other than Iloilo’s rooftop solar, three other Robinsons malls are currently in construction phase. These are Roxas, Dumaguete and Antique, Camaongay said.

Incorporated in 2012 as a renewable energy systems engineering and solutions provider, Filipino-owned Solenergy provides solar and photovoltaic systems to commercial power users at financially viable prices.

It aims to provide a viable and sustainable power alternative to the Filipino people.