A provision in the Philippines giving medium-scale electricity consumers the ability to choose between retail electricity suppliers other than the local utility has had a major boost after a Supreme Court issuance in its favour.
Solar PV has a strong role to play in the Philippines where energy demand continues to grow and the power mix remains expensive. While significant utility-scale solar deployments peaked ahead of a deadline to qualify for the Feed-in-Tariff in March this year, a new subsidy quota is on the horizon. PV Tech caught up with Pete Maniego, senior policy adviser of the Institute for Climate & Sustainable Cities and of Counsel of Dime & Eviota Law, to gather his insights on solar subsidies and how PV can compete with fossil fuels in the Southeast Asian country.
Four PV power plants totalling 98MW have been commissioned in the Philippines in the past fortnight in time for a deadline to qualify for the country’s feed-in tariff.
Singapore-based renewable energy developer and investor Equis has commissioned a 132.5MW solar project, which it claims is Southeast Asia’s largest PV plant, in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, the Philippines.
The Philippines installed a total of 122MW of grid-connected solar PV in 2015, taking its tally to 144MW, up from 22MW the previous year, according to the latest figures from the Philippines Department of Energy (DOE).
Two new PV installations have officially commenced operations in the Philippines — a 50.7MW TSPP site near Tarlac City and a 6.23MW diesel replacement plant in Mindanao.
A senior executive at Chinese manufacturer and project developer ET Solar has said hopes remain high for a negotiated settlement to the ongoing trade dispute between the US and China despite the lack of progress on the issue during a recent meeting between the two countries’ presidents.
