Shell Mamplasan shifts to RE
By MYRNA M. VELASCO
In the accelerating pace of enforcing sustainable solutions at its retail portfolio, the latest network of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation which shifted its electricity usage to renewable energy (RE) is its Shell Mamplasan mobility station, which is part of the high-traffic area catering to motorists driving in and out of Metro Manila to neighboring provinces that have been traversing the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) in Biñan, Laguna.
The provider of power supply to that mobility station is Shell Energy Philippines (SEPH), a subsidiary of Pilipinas Shell, which is a licensed retail electricity supplier (RES) in the restructured power market of the country.
So far, Shell Mamplasan is already the second mobility site to be powered with RE by SEPH – done through solar photovoltaic (PV) installation; and is now serving as a good follow-through to the first ‘solar-underpinned operation’ of the Shell North Luzon Tollway 1 (NLT1) in Balagtas, Bulacan.
According to Lorelie Quiambao-Osial, country chair of Shell companies in the Philippines, “the switching to renewable energy at our operations shows our commitment to reducing our own carbon emissions.”
Toward that end, she emphasized that the company continues “to work with partners in the decarbonization journey as we transition to a lower carbon economy.”
As quantified, the deployment of solar as energy solution at the mobility stations of Shell has been yielding at least 30-percent cost reduction in their electric bills, if reckoned to the time when they’re still depending on conventional power supply sourced from the main grid.
“Shell began transforming its retail fuel stations into one-stop mobility destinations featuring sustainable solutions. These solutions help reduce energy consumption by approximately 30-percent, as compared to a traditional site,” the company stressed.
The suite of sustainable solutions being integrated at its retail networks include RE-generated electricity supply, energy efficiency fixes such as the deployment of inverter technologies and LED lighting systems, rain water catchments, ecobricks for panels and walls at its mobility stations; as well as electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
At this stage, the Shell Mamplasan site is considered as the company’s ‘sustainability showcase mobility station’ because it has also been the first one to be installed with an EV charger, a development that the company is hoping to scale once electric mobility gains further traction in the country.
The company’s transformative approach in operating its mobility stations is anchored on the ‘energy transition agenda’ being advanced by the Philippine government; and this is also aligned with the mid-century net zero decarbonization goal of the global business operations of Royal Dutch Shell.