Industry leaders at the 2nd Solar and Storage Event, amidst Solar and Storage convention 2025, emphasized the rising importance of commercial and industrial (C&I) rooftop solar in the Philippines, highlighting both its potential to drive energy resilience and the regulatory hurdles that continue to limit its expansion.
Speaking during a panel discussion, Jacqueline Castillo, President and CEO of Mabuhay Energy Corporation, emphasized how government initiatives such as Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) and the Green Energy Option Program (GEOP) are empowering consumers to directly engage with renewable energy suppliers.
“Consumers, especially in the C&I space, now have more power to negotiate their generation costs,” Castillo said, adding that over 54 licensed retail electricity suppliers (RES) are currently operating nationwide.
She noted that under GEOP, qualified consumers (100 kW and above) are already eligible to contract renewable energy, and recent rules now allow aggregation of loads from households, subdivisions, or even local governments to reach the minimum 500 kW requirement. However, Castillo pointed out that low solar energy prices in recent government auctions may make it difficult to justify investment without additional incentives.
“Solar plus battery is way cheaper than running diesel gensets,” she added, stressing the need for more educational campaigns and accessible financing for C&I customers.
John Kevin Matundan, Project Manager at Solar Pacific Energy Corp, shared insights on alternative deployment models to address space limitations in urban solar development. He cited a project in Amadeo, Cavite, which consolidated rooftops from over 2,000 socialized housing units to host a 6 MW solar installation whose output is injected into the grid.
Despite its success, Matundan flagged that high distribution charges from utilities make it difficult to sell power competitively outside the utility’s franchise area. He called for reforms in distribution and interconnection policies to encourage similar developments.
Several speakers, which included Jose Alfonso Miras Vice President/Head of Business Development and Market Operations of Jin Navitas Solaris Inc, Cecelia Zhong Project Development Director GCL, Juan Nel Head of Project Management at Wayu Energy, Mike Mayondac Founder and Managing Director of Ripple Power, and Brent Niko Dergantes, Project Development Team Lead for Solar CleanTech Global Renewables Inc., echoed the growing role of battery energy storage systems (BESS) in complementing solar power, particularly as nighttime energy demand increases and prices spike.
Castillo highlighted that C&I customers with 24/7 operations—such as those in manufacturing or semiconductors—stand to benefit significantly from storage solutions. “Otherwise, it will really disrupt market pricing,” she said, citing volatility in the wholesale electricity spot market.
The panelists also raised concerns over inconsistent implementation of interconnection standards by various electric utilities. These inconsistencies, they argued, result in cost unpredictability and project delays for developers and consumers alike.
Calls were made for a standardized, transparent approval framework across utilities to streamline project development and enhance investor confidence.
Discussions also touched on international models such as agrovoltaic systems used in Taiwan, where solar is integrated with shrimp farms to maximize land use. These dual-purpose solutions, panelists noted, could be replicated in the Philippines’ agricultural sector to simultaneously boost energy access and rural productivity.
The event concluded with a shared call for cross-sector collaboration to accelerate the renewable energy transition.
“This is no longer a period of competition but a period of collaboration,” Castillo said, noting that every segment of the energy value chain now has a role to play in achieving a more secure, sustainable future.
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