In solar power lies a powerful policy instrument

Of all the renewable energy sources, solar power must have received the most flak, notably for being relatively more expensive than the others.

Still, local and foreign developers remained bullish of hitting an ambitious target of a 500-megawatt solar capacity boosting Philippine power supply in the near term, from the current 1 MW, and having 10 companies in the country with the scale of SunPower Philippines, whose manufacturing plant in Laguna was reported to be the first large-scale solar cell facility in Southeast Asia.

Theresa Cruz-Capellan, president of the Philippine Solar Power Alliance (PSPA), even believes that in 10 years’ time, some 30 percent of households in the country will have their own solar panels, powering their electricity consumption via solar energy.

Capellan, however, lamented that many Filipinos—both from the private sector and the government—are reluctant and wary about this resource mainly because of the misconceptions about solar power.

“Don’t discriminate technology that can benefit specific individuals,” she stresses, noting further that, over the long term, solar power will be the choice resource as this can be put up at the point of consumption or retail, unlike other renewable energy sources.

After all, given the current advances in technology, it may be possible that soon enough, households will be using solar kits that can be readily installed on their homes, allowing them to enjoy the benefits of living in a tropical country.

Capellan admits that for now, prices of solar panels that can be installed on household rooftops are quite steep. But she expects the technology to become more affordable in due time as she sees a global trend in which “solar will prevail” among other renewable energy sources. And this, too, can happen in the country.

Viability

Capellan says this scenario will likely happen should solar developers manage to turn the Philippines into a solar manufacturing hub of Southeast Asia—a dream they expect to achieve once solar power has been “demystified” and its misconceptions dispelled.

According to PSPA, the Philippines has an established geographical advantage in solar power. The country, being near the equator, is located in the world’s sun belt and has an irradiation index of 1,200, convincing investors of the Philippines’ solar energy potential.

Other countries even have less irradiation because of the winter season. Yet, even with less sunlight, these countries produce significant amount of solar energy, such as Germany, wherein 9 percent of its electricity requirements come from 8.9 gigawatt-hours of power generated from solar resources.

Solution to energy demand

Energy analysts, the group claims, are optimistic that the Philippines can convert sunlight to power. Aside from the country’s strategic location, Sunpower is located at Sta. Rosa, Laguna, as its presence provides the country easy access to materials needed to build large solar plants.

Further, manpower is said to be available to absorb the planned installations. Years of solar-powered electrification in the rural areas created a pool of installers capable of providing construction support to utility companies and contractors planning to build solar plants, the group adds.

In the current Philippine energy situation, solar energy, according to its developers, can become viable residential solutions to energy demand given the fact that prices of fossil fuels continue to rise; a power crisis in the country is already imminent; and that solar facilities can be readily put up in six months’ to two years’ time to mitigate a possible supply shortage.

Also, solar home systems have since provided solutions to poor, off-grid communities across the country. Over 10,000 homes have been energized with this resource, providing electricity to these affected families.

“Amid rising prices of oil and coal and the pressing power crisis in Mindanao, the solar power industry hopes to harness a powerful policy instrument handed by Congress to drive the renewable energy solutions forward and bring the country closer to energy dependence and energy access for all,” Capellan explains.

Summit

On June 1 to 3, solar developers, in tandem with the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines (Seipi), are holding the first Philippine Solar Photovoltaic Summit at the SMX Convention Center.

According to Capellan, the summit targets to enlighten the public on the misconceptions regarding solar energy and will bring together representatives from government, businesses, funding institutions, research agencies, as well as the manufacturers, suppliers and power-generation companies engaged in solar wafer slicing, cell fab, panel manufacturing, systems integration and RE solutions.

Hans-Josef Fell, a member of the German Bundestag and author of the renewable energy measure in Germany, will be in the country to present to delegates how solar energy worked in his country. Other speakers representing Asia, Europe and North America markets will also share best practices and the challenges they encountered as they sought to find RE solutions, action plans and results.