SJGEC’s pilot project combining elevated solar panels and crop cultivation won PCAPI’s Environmental Success Story Award, while its pollution control officer also earned national recognition.

Yuchengco-led San Jose Green Energy Corporation (SJGEC) secured two major recognitions during the 46th General Assembly of the Pollution Control Association of the Philippines Inc. held on May 20 in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

SJGEC’s Agri-Photovoltaics Pilot Project emerged as champion in the Environmental Success Story Awards category.

The company’s Pollution Control Officer, Andreana Cole R. Bravante, was also recognized as one of the country’s The Outstanding Pollution Control Officers (TOPCO).

PCAPI’s Sustainability Awards recognize projects and professionals that promote pollution control, waste minimization, and environmental management systems that go beyond compliance.

The organization has more than 300 Pollution Control Officer members representing over 200 companies nationwide.

SJGEC said the awards highlight the company’s push to combine renewable energy development with sustainable land use practices.

“On behalf of SJGEC and our shareholders PetroGreen Energy Corporation and Japan’s Kyuden International Corporation and Taisei Corporation, we thank the PCAPI for recognizing our environmental efforts and sustainability goals specifically on promoting the dual use of land for energy generation and agricultural production,” said SJGEC AVP for Environment and Community Relations Yrel V. Ventura.

“We share this success with our partners in this endeavor, the Department of Energy (DOE), Central Luzon State University, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), and the local government of San Jose, Nueva Ecija,” Ventura added.

SJGEC’s agrivoltaics initiative bested 16 other entries in the same category.

The pilot project operates within the company’s 19.6 MWDC San Jose Solar Power Project in Nueva Ecija.

Under the initiative, SJGEC elevated 588 solar panels between two to three meters above ground to allow crop cultivation underneath.

The demonstration area covers around 2,750 square meters.

In partnership with CLSU, the company is conducting parallel studies on how agrivoltaics affects both solar generation efficiency and agricultural productivity.

The project also examines soil conditions and other operational parameters linked to dual land use.

SJGEC said the initiative aims to prove that renewable energy infrastructure and farming activities can coexist sustainably on the same land area.

The San Jose Solar Power Project can generate around 29 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually for the Luzon grid.

The company said the project also demonstrates the value of collaboration between the private sector, academe, government agencies, and local communities in developing sustainability-focused energy solutions.

Bravante’s recognition as one of the country’s top pollution control officers also reinforced SJGEC’s focus on environmental compliance and responsible project development.

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