Cheyenne Suarez

High bills, cheap panels drive a Philippine solar surge

Residents of Brgy. Coring in Dinagat Islands, CORA Philippines, and Greenpeace install solar panels to the community’s gymnasium on July 15, 2022 to provide clean, reliable power after being devastated by Super Typhoon Odette the previous year. The panels add an additional 4,800 watts of electricity and will power various barangay activities to help the community get back on its feet. Jilson Tiu, Greenpeace handout

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div> </div>MANILA — Edwin Salas watched as the first of 20 solar panels was installed on the roof of his home, joining a Philippine solar energy boom sent into overdrive by the Middle East war.The country&#x27;s eye-watering electric bills -- the highest in the region -- were the primary driver of his decision, he said. Regular brownouts were a factor, too.&quot;Even if we don&#x27;t achieve a zero bill, we&#x27;ll be able to save a lot and have power even during outages,&quot; the 46-year-old shuttle bus driver told AFP at his house two hours south of Manila.While the Philippine government has targeted a mix of 35 percent renewable energy by 2030, industry experts say the solar surge is a bottom-up phenomenon driven by businesses and individual consumers.&quot;For years, rooftop solar was often framed as an environmental choice... today, it&#x27;s a practical response to financial pressure,&quot; Brenda Valerio, country director for non-profit New Energy Nexus, told AFP.The Philippines this year became China&#x27;s number two buyer of solar panels, according to a report from global energy think tank Ember.The report estimated that rooftop installations had nearly doubled in the archipelago nation of 116 million since early 2025.Mike de Guzman, CEO of Manila-based Solaric, told AFP the Middle East conflict had made the decision to switch an urgent one for many.&quot;It&#x27;s like a war happened and we were a bullet factory,&quot; the 49-year-old said, adding that five months of inventory had been &quot;wiped out&quot; within weeks of the conflict&#x27;s outbreak in late February.Months later, the firm was still getting 60 calls a day.<div>Made in China</div>As with most dealers throughout Asia, De Guzman&#x27;s inventory comes from China.From January through May, China exported $13.96 billion worth of solar cells and panels, up 26 percent from $11.07 billion during the same period last year, official customs data reviewed by AFP showed.Southeast Asian countries accounted for much of that growth, with the governments of Malaysia and Thailand pushing solar adoption and Cambodia setting an import record in March.Indonesia is also buying more panels, though generous energy subsidies and a strict quota system give consumers little incentive to switch.The report from Ember suggested the boom was just beginning in the Philippines, with far more panels imported than installed.According to the Manila-based Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, which tracks adoption by analysing satellite imagery of rooftops, only half a percent of the country&#x27;s available roof space is so far equipped for solar.&quot;The opportunity to scale is immense,&quot; it said.<div>Plummeting prices</div>Using the vast hectares of open space on the roofs of Philippine malls has helped edge those numbers upward.More than 200,000 panels now provide about 50 percent of the energy mix at SM Group&#x27;s shopping centres, including its sprawling Mall of Asia, where customers are shaded from the Manila sun under a pergola created with solar panels.&quot;We&#x27;ve been putting solar panels on our malls just to save on energy,&quot; Frederic DyBuncio, president and CEO of SM Investments Corp, told AFP, adding that the country&#x27;s other conglomerates were doing the same.&quot;Most of them are looking at rooftop solar because that&#x27;s the easiest to do.&quot;Competitor Robinsons now touts &quot;28 solar-powered malls&quot;, while Ayala has arrays atop 13.&quot;Solar panels continue to go down in price,&quot; DyBuncio added, something he expected the Philippines &quot;to take advantage of&quot;.<div>Bureaucratic bottlenecks</div>While declining panel costs -- and steadily increasing electricity rates -- mean systems pay for themselves faster than ever, the upfront costs remain out of reach for many.An energy department spokeswoman noted the government was offering a financing programme for civil servants, but fewer options exist for average Filipinos.&quot;A system for a typical household would range maybe around $3,000 to $5,000,&quot; said New Energy Nexus&#x27;s Valerio, calling it &quot;too much&quot; for a middle-class family without financing.Meanwhile, approvals for the required metering and grid connection -- theoretically a 10-day process -- can take as long as eight months in some areas, according to Valerio.&quot;The problem with solar rooftops is red tape,&quot; Philippine Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said in June, calling for a faster, simpler permitting process.That cannot come soon enough for Jose Rafael Mendoza, president of the Philippine Solar and Storage Energy Alliance.Like other installers, Mendoza&#x27;s wish list also includes an end to VAT taxes that are inflating costs for a public he says no longer needs convincing.&quot;We have so much pent-up demand in the Philippines,&quot; he told AFP.Australia, where one in three homes now has rooftop panels, offered a clear blueprint for the Philippines, he said.&quot;We believe there&#x27;s going to be a similar trajectory.&quot;

The country's eye-watering electric bills -- the highest in the region -- were the primary driver of this trend. Regular brownouts were a factor, too.

The country's eye-watering electric bills -- the highest in the region -- were the primary driver of this trend. Regular brownouts were a factor, too.

High bills, cheap panels drive a Philippine solar surge

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

BINI

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Business

High bills, cheap panels drive a Philippine solar surge

Agence France-Presse,

Cecil Morella and Chad Williams

Published August 05, 2026 11:12 AM PHT

Read More:

solar panel

renewable energy

electricity cost

power prices

solar rooftop

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

Sign Up

I have read and agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.

Haven't received our newsletter?

Check your inbox to verify and confirm your subscription.

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.