The Department of Energy (DOE) has been swamped with solar project applications that will yield capacity installations of more than 13,217 megawatts, according to documents culled from the agency.
As of June this year, energy department data showed that the array of solar projects proposed by renewable energy developers are either ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) installations; solar rooftop ventures; or floating solar developments – and these are on-grid and off-grid installations.
Of the 13,000MW projects, DOE documents indicated that 1,058 solar facilities had already been completed and are now in commercial operations.
For the forthcoming projects, the giant energy players with proposed developments are: Aboitiz Power Corporation, Energy Development Corporation and First Gen of the Lopez group; AC Energy of the Ayala group; Manila Electric Company and other key energy players like TeaM Energy Philippines; Vivant Energy of the Garcia group; PetroSolar Corporation of the Yuchengco group; Absolut Distillers of the Tan group; and Citicore which is affiliated with the Megawide group.
Bulk of the targeted solar farms shall be sited in various locations in Luzon, including Metro Manila; and the rest of the prospective industry players have preferred sites in Visayas and Mindanao.
The solar projects in Metro Manila, as cast on blueprint, are the propounded commercial rooftop installations of Solkraft Power Ph Corp in Balintawak, Quezon City; the AC La Mesa Solar Inc. project in Quezon City; and the NorteSol IV Inc. floating solar installation at the Laguna de Bay (on the Taguig side) which are all under pre-development stages.
So far, the completed projects in Metro Manila comprised of the Solar Philippines’ rooftop projects at the SM City North Edsa and SM Mall of Asia; as well as Valenzuela Solar Energy Inc. facility in Valenzuela City.
The other sites chosen by project proponents are those in Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Bulacan, Bataan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Cagayan, Isabela, Tarlac, Ifugao, Benguet, Laguna, Quezon, Rizal, Batangas, Cavite, Zambales, Palawan, Romblon, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Camarines Sur and Catanduanes in Luzon; then Aklan, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Capiz, Guimaras, Cebu, Negros
Oriental, Leyte, Biliran and Samar in the Visayas.
In Mindanao, the proposed solar projects are in Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, South Cotabato, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon and Camiguin.
In the roll of solar project proponents are: EEI Power Corporation, Pangasinan I Electric Cooperative Inc., Phinma Energy Corporation, IJG1 Philippines Inc., PV Sinag Power Inc., OneManaoag Solar Corporation, C Squared Prime Commodities Corporation, Pilipinas Einstein Energy Corp., Pilipinas Newton Energy Corp., Energy Development Corporation, Nuevo Solar Energy Corp., Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative Inc., Del Sol Energy Prima Inc., Energy Logics Philippines Inc., Bosung Solartec Inc., Cleantech Global Renewables Inc., Neoenergy Corporation, Satrap Power Corporation, Solana Solar Alpha Inc., YH Green Energy Incorporated, Next Generation Power Technology Corp., Solar Philippines, Shizen Inc., Gigasol3 Inc., Solar Power Utilities Generator Corporation, and SPARC Solar Powered Agri-Rural Communities Corporation.
Others in the list are: Santa Cruz Solar Energy Inc., ET Energy Island Corp., Bulacan Solar Energy Corp., Team (Philippines) Renewable Energy Corporation, Manresa Power Corporation, PowerSource First Bulacan Solar Inc., CMP Green Energy Corp., First Cabanatuan Renewable Ventures Inc., PI Energy Inc., Masé Power Corporation, Bataan Solar Energy Inc., Jobin-Sqm Inc., Ruei Hsiang Solar (Philippines) Corp., Urbasolar Philippines Corporation, Doña Isabel Power Corporation, Energence Renewable Energy Corporation, Enfinity Philippines, Raslag Corp., Solar Pacific Citysun Corporation, Citicore Renewable Energy Corp., Sindicatum C-Solar Power Inc., Greenergy Solutions Inc., Terasu Energy Inc., PetroSolar Corporation and nv vogt Solar Energy Three Inc.
The rest of the prospective developers are: AP Renewables Energy Corp., Greentech Solar Energy Inc., Sunlite Energy Helio-site 1 Inc., Firmgreen Phils. Inc., V-Mars Solar Energy Corporation, SJC Solar Power Corp., Solarace1 Energy Corp., Barracuda Energy Corp., Transnational Renewable Energy Corp., MSpectrum Inc., NKS Solar One Inc., CW Marketing & Development Corp., Sun Premier Pagbilao Philippines Corporation, Manila Electric Company, H&WB Asia Pacific Pte (Ltd) Corp., Winnergy Holdings Corp., AC Subic Solar Inc., Green Atom Renewable Energy Corp., UPC Asia Corporation, Metro Solar Power Solutions Inc., EarthEnergy Corp., Lumin Solar Energy Inc., Absolut Distillers Inc., Majestics Energy Corporation, Roxas Green Energy Corporation, Greencore Power Solutions, Verdecore Power Solutions Inc., ATN Philippines Solar Energy Group Inc., PTC Energy Inc., First Gen Visayas Energy Inc. , TotalPower Inc., Culna Renewable Energy Corp., Phil. Solar Farm Palawan Inc., Sabang Renewable Energy Corp., Global Clean Hybrid Energy Corp., New Belvia Renewables Inc., Scion Sustainable Power Corp. and Sun Premier Sud Philippine Corporation, among others.
According to the energy department, the influx of proposed RE power projects is in line with the rollout of the Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) policy next year – wherein the DOE will auction the initial capacity that shall be absorbed in the supply portfolio of the distribution utilities.
Aside from the RPS, the solar project sponsor-firms are also prepping for the net metering as well as the Green Energy Option Program (GEOP) as alternative in marketing the generated electricity of their facilities.
DOE Director Mylene Capongcol of the Renewable Energy Management Bureau (REMB) said the initial target for the RPS auction will be for 2,000 megawatts capacity and that will be across technologies, to include solar, wind, hydro, biomass and even ocean technologies.
But given the slump in power demand this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, the total capacity for the auction is being reviewed and will be submitted to Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi for his final decision.