Government agencies, including government-owned and controlled corporations, state universities and colleges and local government units are now mandated to utilize solar energy in government-owned buildings to help minimize the country’s dependence on imported fuel.
The move is part of the compliance to the Government Energy Management Program which encourages all government entities to reduce their electricity consumption by at least 10 percent.
In a resolution promulgated last July 7 by the Inter-Agency Energy Efficiency and Conservation Committee (IAEECC), government entities are given three years from the effectivity of the resolution to install an initial supply of at least 20 percent of their electricity requirements from solar power or any equivalent renewable energy (RE) technology based on the highest monthly kilowatt-hour billing demand of the previous years.
Under IAEECC Resolution No. 8, a government entity that will install solar photovoltaic (PV) system or any equivalent RE technology with a capacity not exceeding 100 kilowatts is also allowed to be qualified end-users (QEs) and may enter into a net-metering agreement with a distribution utility.
QEs are entities – a house or an office building – that generate electric power coming from an eligible RE generating facility that can be connected to the grid for the purpose of entering into a net-metering agreement.
Under net-metering, solar power facility owners can export their excess electricity to the grid in exchange for electricity bill credits that can be in the form of rebates.
Raphael Lotilla, Department of Energy (DOE) secretary and concurrent chairperson of the IAEECC, said the participation of all government entities in this program is expected to reduce their monthly electric bills. The savings could re-channeled to other services such as health and education.
Lotilla added military lands, camps and reservations are being considered to host solar farms which will maximize the job-creation potential of the RE sector.
He said the Energy Utilization Management Bureau (EUMB) will assist government entities in installing solar PV systems with the necessary technical requirements.
The EUMB has initiated three solar demonstration projects for government offices such as the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)-Zamboanga Peninsula office in Pagadian City, the DOE Luzon field office in Pangasinan and the Mariano Marcos State University in Ilocos Norte.
Lotilla said these demonstration projects are envisioned to establish the viability and effectiveness of RE technologies in helping reduce electricity consumption in government offices.
Meanwhile, the EUMB will also provide the official list of solar PV installers for reference and guidance of all government entities. It will collaborate with the Department of Public Works and Highways in evaluating the structural integrity of office buildings.
The IAEECC is composed of the DOE as chair with the Department of Budget and Management, Department of Finance, Department of the Interior and Local Government, DPWH, Department of Transportation, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Trade and Industry and NEDA as members.
