China’s ET finds home on PH rooftops

A subsidiary of Chinese solar cell manufacturer ET Solar has commissioned its first commercial solar project in the Philippines—on the rooftop of an American car dealership in Cebu City.

ET Energy said in a statement the solar rooftop system has been finished and connected to the grid, for use of Fairlane Automotive Ventures Inc., a dealer of Ford Motor vehicles.

“ET Energy has always been committed to entering the Philippine solar market,” company chief executive Dennis She said.

“In addition to this project, a 1.4-megawatt PV (photovoltaic) project in cooperation with a local well-known power giant has been connected to the grid,” She said.

He added ET Energy was also building commercial rooftop PV projects for Toyota Motor Corp.

“These substantial projects show that we can and will fully open the Philippines’ industrial and commercial PV market,” She also said.

The project for Fairlane Automotive—involving complete engineering, procurement and construction services—saw the installation of 273 solar modules.

ET Energy said the project had a lifecycle of over 25 years and would reduce both utility costs and carbon dioxide emissions.

The company said installed solar capacity in the Philippines was estimated to reach 1.6 gigawatts by 2020.

Many local industrial and commercial owners find that building a rooftop PV power plant is a good business decision, because it gives them more efficient, stable and lower-cost electricity, the company said.