First Gen has completed and energized 1-megawatt-peak (MWp) solar carport facilities for two South Supermarket branches in Malolos, Bulacan and Los Baños, Laguna.

The projects were energized in late May 2026, around one year after construction started and a year and a half after First Gen and Grand Union Supermarket, Inc. signed their agreement in January 2025.

Grand Union, which owns the South Supermarket chain, tapped First Gen to construct and operate the solar carports for the two branches.

Located in the parking lots of the Malolos and Los Baños stores, the projects involved the installation of more than 1,600 photovoltaic (PV) panels with a combined capacity of 1 MWp.

South Supermarket management noted lower electricity costs, especially during daytime periods when solar generation is highest and aligned with supermarket business hours.

“We are pleased to note that our solar installations in the South Supermarket branches have been yielding cost savings, helping rationalize their operating budgets, and making their operations more environmentally sustainable for the communities they serve,” said Mark Malabanan, First Gen Energy Solutions, Inc. vice president for solar and commercial business development.

Initial data showed that solar power use at the two branches could avoid an estimated 527 tons of carbon emissions from electricity consumption, equivalent to the carbon dioxide absorbed by more than 24,200 trees in a year.

Malabanan said First Gen is also committed to supporting Grand Union in rolling out energy solutions across the rest of its supermarket chain.

Grand Union was established in 1967 as an independent, family-owned supermarket corporation and operates 13 South Supermarket branches nationwide.

First Gen has a portfolio of 31 facilities that generate electricity from solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal energy.

Aside from renewable energy generation, the First Gen Group also supports businesses through on-site solar PV facilities, remote energy monitoring systems, and energy audits.

Can more commercial establishments cut daytime power costs by shifting part of their electricity needs to on-site solar?

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