Japanese-Filipino firm Transnational Uyeno Solar Corp. (TUSC) is installing this year rooftop-mounted solar power projects for commercial firms such as Jollibee Foods Corp., Starbucks and other industrial clients.
TUSC has so far built 18 projects with a total combined capacity of close to one megawatt (MW), company general manager Jen S. Tablante said in a briefing. Ten projects with a total combined capacity of 2 MW were also on the pipeline, she said.
One of the larger projects is a 103 kilowatt-hour (kWh) system for the Keppel shipyard in Batangas, director Nicolas A. Bivero said. Also included are new solar rooftop installations for branches of Jollibee and Starbucks, two of TUSC’s existing clients.
TUSC was formed as a joint venture between Philippines-based Transnational Renewable Energy Corp. (TREC) and Japan-based Uyeno Green Solutions Ltd. (UGS). TREC is a member of the Transnational Diversified Group of Companies (TDG), which has more than 30 member-firms in various industries.
TDG president Rashid A. Delgado said TUSC serves the middle segment of the market, focusing on commercial and industrial installations rather than the small household and “mega-sized” ground installations.
Delgado said the middle segment was expected to grow quickly over the next few years since more companies were becoming aware of the big savings from own-use solar power installations.
Bivero added more commercial and industrial firms were likely to try solar rooftop installations because the cost of putting up one has gone down and offered a lot of benefits especially for those with little or no access to electricity.
“The cost of putting up a solar energy system has gone down by almost half,” Tablante added. “There are now greater opportunities to improve energy efficiency and to utilize technological advances to generate power in a more socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable manner.”
“Of all our projects, we are particularly proud of those that are able to integrate solar energy into the daily lives of our consumers—projects like our e-trike charging stations and solar-powered Jollibee and Starbucks branches,” Delgado said.