Expecting an increase in the demand for electricity in the coming months, Senator Grace Poe has reiterated the need to promote and adopt the use of rooftop solar technology in the Philippines.

“Summer is usually the season for higher energy demand and costlier electric bills. But we should also see it as a renewed opportunity to promote technology that can harness energy from the sun when it is most available,” Poe said in a statement.

Citing the Department of Energy's (DOE) presentation before the joint congressional energy commission hearing last Tuesday, April 27, Poe noted that peak demand for electricity in Luzon is expected to reach 11,841 megawatts (MW) by May.

Demand is also expected to reach 2,394 MW in Visayas and 2,098 MW in Mindanao, the DOE said.

Unplanned outages of coal-fired power plants have also been aggravating the demand for energy during the "summer" months.

Authorities said that for April, power costs for residential customers went up in Luzon because of the tight supply condition that saw peak demand increasing by almost 1,000 MW, just when over 3,400 MW became unavailable because of plant outages.

Peak demand was also the main driver of electricity costs due to heavier use of electric fans and airconditioning units, they also noted.

“Indeed, the extra sunlight brings additional expense to our households. But if adoption of rooftop solar is more widespread, we can offset costs by harnessing the extra rays as an energy source,” Poe said.

Poe had filed Senate Bill No. 581 or the proposed “Solar Rooftop Adoption Act of 2019", to encourage the use of solar panels in residential, commercial and even government establishments. She filed a similar measure in 2018.

In again pushing the bill's passage, she mentioned a study by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities stating that around 2.5-gigawatt peak could be harvested in Metro Manila if solar panels were installed on every viable rooftop.

This is equivalent to the amount of electricity produced by a 500-MW coal-fired plant, she further noted.

Poe said the excess energy generated during the daytime can also be potentially stored for use in the evening or sold back to the market.

“The lack of interest in promoting rooftop solar is really baffling, considering its potential benefits,” she lamented.

SB No. 581 proposes the standardization of permits and licenses needed to install rooftop solar panels. It also seeks to establishe a rooftop solar loan program under the government's home development mutual fund or Pag-IBIG Fund.

Last March 26, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) declared the beginning of dry season in the country.