VCDC, or the Victor Consunji Development Corp., is steadily gaining ground not only as a niche developer of coveted projects in the country; it is now carving a reputation as a sustainable developer conscious of its carbon footprint.
“The drive toward sustainability is at the core of our developments way back when we started,” said Victor Consunji, CEO. “We are aware of the huge impact of construction and development to our environment, so we make sure to implement green practices that are widely implemented and meet the best-of-world standards.”
The commitment of VCDC to the environment is not just lip service as it is proactive in the search of like-minded partners that would further enhance the sustainability mission of VCDC. One of its newest partnerships was forged with Renesource, a company that empowers Filipino homeowners and businesses by lowering their carbon footprint, as well as their energy costs.
“It was very timely for us to partner with Renesource, considering all the calls for us to help save the planet amid the pandemic,” said Consunji. “Renesource would bring in its expertise to help us reduce, or gradually eradicate, the carbon footprint of our construction activities. They would also help us educate our homeowners so they, too, would benefit from energy savings.”
Renesource, founded in 2016, and its team of European and local solar experts are trusted by investment companies from around the world, including some of the top financial institutions in the country, such as PINAI (Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure), BPI (Bank of the Philippine Islands), IFC (International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group), ADB (Asian Development Bank), RCBC (Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation), and Chinabank.
Even if it is still a young company, Renesource was able to build a credible reputation, allowing it to form partnerships with various investors and offer leasing solutions for own use Self-Generating Facilities (SGFs), allowing the clients to save on energy immediately, with no upfront investment. Renesource’s expertise, credibility, and wide network worldwide are among the reasons why VCDC partnered with the company.
Representing Renesource is its CEO, Tim Wilkinson, an electrical engineer and computer science graduate from Canada. Wilkinson has built a successful 10-year career as an Applications Engineer, Automation Specialist, and Technical Sales Manager, providing robotics and quality control solutions to clients such as General Motors, Tesla, Denso, Toyota, among others.
"Energy remains as one of the top input costs for most businesses. At Renesource, we provide residential and commercial consumers with continuous, cost-effective power supply, yielding more than 25 percent of returns per year on average based on self-consumption savings,” said Wilkinson. “For utility scale applications, companies from around the world trust Renesource time and time again to assess the financial viability and risks of major solar infrastructure projects. Many of our clients will engage Renesource from the start of land development, right through to the finish of construction and into the operations and maintenance phase.”
Renesource, according to Wilkinson, is also an expert in designing and constructing utility scale solar farms. In fact, its chief technical consultant Tobias Preuss is a leader of the renewable renaissance and has managed over 500+ MWp -- almost 40 percent of the operating projects in the Philippines. Last May 2021, despite facing challenges brought on by the pandemic, Renesource completed the 80 MWp project of PFBSI, a joint-venture between Meralco Power Generation (MGEN) and Powersource.
“The company offers turn-key EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) solutions for rooftop installations as well as utility scale solar farms. The hallmark of our dedicated team is using top-quality materials and world-class engineering expertise, paired with local design and integration experience. This approach ensures our installations are built to last for 25 years and our process considers all the unique challenges that tropical archipelagos like the Philippines offer,” explained Wilkinson.
Wilkinson was appointed CEO of Renesource just last September 2021. It was not long ago when he was introduced to the company in 2018 by his long-time friend Kristin Ramos (who serves as the president) while he was vacationing in the Philippines. He was immediately intrigued by the idea of joining a new company in a growing industry where his work would have a positive impact on helping the development of the Philippine economy and protecting the environment. After much consideration, Wilkinson left his life in Canada to join Renesource as the director of sales.
Wilkinson played many roles in his two years in the company, from dealing with the challenges of tackling three large projects during the pandemic, in addition to the many new business opportunities that needed to be explored. This partnership with VCDC is one of the many exciting partnerships that Wilkinson is looking forward to as the real estate industry is one of the most resilient segments of the economy and is primed for expansion and shift toward sustainability.
On his part, Consunji is confident that with the expertise of Renesource, VCDC will achieve more by consuming less energy, and make sustainable living possible among its valuable clients and homeowners. Consunji believes that with Wilkinson at the helm, there will be more partnership potentials to discover and implement in the future.