Solar Philippines to replicate micro-grid project in Mindoro

MANILA, Philippines — Solar Philippines is set to replicate its recently completed solar-battery micro-grid project in Mindoro – touted to be the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia – to provide electricity supply in other off-grid areas across the country.

The company has completed its first solar-battery micro-grid the project in Paluan, Mindoro. It has two megawatts (MW) of solar panels, 2 MWh of batteries, and 2 MW of diesel backup, providing reliable power 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The project uses panels from the Solar Philippines factory in Batangas, and is also the first micro-grid in Asia to feature powerpacks from Tesla – a leading manufacturer of batteries and electric vehicles.

Solar Philippines said power is being provided to Paluan at 50 percent lower cost than what is provided by state-run National Power Corp. (Napocor), which spends up to P20 billion a year from the Universal Charge for Missionary Electrification subsidy which is shouldered by all consumers.

With Napocor, the town of Paluan used to consume subsidies of over P30 million a year but will now be subsidy-free with the new micro-grid project, the company said.

Once dubbed the “Brownout Capital of the Philippines,” Mindoro is only one of many regions, including Southern Luzon, Northern Luzon, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Western Mindanao, and Southern Mindanao, where extended outages occur.

According to Mayor Carl Pangilinan, Paluan first received four hours of daily service in 1978 from the Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (Omeco), which later waived its franchise given its difficulties in serving the town.

In 2014, Napocor resumed service, for an average of 16 hours a day, with outages sometimes lasting several days.

“We see ourselves as partners in developing Paluan into a first-class municipality in the coming years. While other companies seek to charge the highest rates possible, we believe that offering quality service at the lowest cost is win-win, helping the areas we serve and growing the market over the long-term,” Solar Philippines founder Leandro Leviste said.