The Philippine Solar and Storage Energy Alliance (PSSEA) is optimistic that the development of solar and energy storage projects in the country will continue to prosper this year, as the Department of Energy (DOE) schedules new rounds of Green Energy Auction (GEA).
“(Year) 2025 promises to be a banner year for the adoption of solar and storage in the Philippines … we see solar playing a leading role in adding supply of electricity. The inclusion of IRESS (integrated renewables and energy storage systems) also shows the progressive evolution of our country’s energy landscape,” said Jose Rafael Mendoza, PSSEA president, in a message to reporters over the weekend.
The DOE is set to conduct the third, fourth and fifth rounds of GEA this year. GEA-4, in particular, involves more than 8,200 megawatts (MW) of RE projects with IRESS components.
Under GEA, interested RE producers compete for incentivized fixed power rates by offering prices that are lower than or equal to reserve prices set by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).
But Mendoza limitations in grid interconnection and the difficulty in consolidating land for utility scale solar projects have challenged the industry.
He said the growth of rooftop solar for homes and businesses is held back by the lack of trust in the technology, installers and service providers.
Mendoza urged ERC to partner with local government units for one-stop shops for net-metering applications to facilitate permits.
DOE data showed total installed capacity of solar power projects reached 2,551 MW as of November 2024, equivalent to 8.6 percent of the country’s total 26,697 MW installed capacity from all types of technologies. The data showed DOE recorded 634 MW of installed energy storage system capacity and a total of 116 MW of rooftop installed solar for own-use.
