Call for Philippines to quadruple 500MW FiT ceiling

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

Solar companies in the Philippines are planning to push the country’s government to quadruple the amount of solar qualifying for its feed-in tariff scheme, according to reports.

In an interview with Reuters, Theresa Cruz-Capellan, chief executive of the Philippine Solar Power Alliance (PSPA), said the trade body wanted the current FiT ceiling of 500MW extended to around 2GW.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

The Philippines’ FiT for PV has already been raised from an initial 50MW to the current 500MW, but the PSPA wants to go further.

“We will draft an industry roadmap, which we will present to the government as the basis of our proposal which is for 2GW,” Cruz-Capellan told Reuters in an interview.

Market research firms such as IHS have tipped the Philippines as one of the emerging markets to watch in 2015, and a number of big-name firms including SunEdison are already developing early-stage pipelines in the country. But projects have been slow to come forward, in part due to onerous application processes, Cruz-Capellan told Reuters.

“We have to deal with many people in the government from local to national level to get permits,” she said, adding that a rule requiring projects to be 80% complete before developers can apply to receive minimum tariffs, made it difficult to get financing.

However, possibly more promising for the roll-out of solar in the Philippines is the prospect of projects happening outside of the main FiT programme.

In May US firm First Solar announced the formation of a joint venture partnership to build commercial PV projects in the Philippines outside of the FiT. The company’s Asia-Pacific regional manager Jack Curtis told PV Tech the combination of high generation costs and dispersed geography in the Philippines made unsubsidised projects a viable proposition for the country, where blackouts and brownouts are a problem.

Read Next

September 10, 2025
Cordelio Power has started commercial operations at its 150MW Winfield solar project in Lincoln County, Missouri.
September 10, 2025
Voltalia is seeking compensation for the ongoing curtailment of its Brazilian solar and wind fleet, which has exceeded expectations this year.
September 10, 2025
Japanese solar cell manufacturer Toyo Solar has sold 1.6GW of solar PV cells in the first half of 2025, driving revenue of around US$139 million.
September 10, 2025
The CEFC has said that a coordinated approach to transmission in Pilbara, Western Australia, could save more than AU$30 billion over 25 years.
September 9, 2025
Iberdrola has signed a 77MW power purchase agreement (PPA) with Italian grocery retail group Selex Gruppo Commerciale.
September 9, 2025
Nautilus and Summit Ridge Energy secured major financing deals to expand community solar projects across multiple US states.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines