Solar industry seeks ‘stimulus cover’
By Myrna M. Velasco – June 14, 2020, 10:00 PM
from Manila Bulletin
Players in the solar power sector have been batting for coverage in the government’s stimulus package so the analog electric meters being used in servicing customers could finally be transformed into digitized or smart meters.
In a plea lodged by Philippine Solar and Storage Energy Alliance (PSSEA) to the Senate committee on Energy, it sought that the lawmakers must consider “stimulus package that includes the greening and digitization of the energy infrastructure.”
In that proposal, the group had not just batted for fiscal cover on the deployment of digitized meters; but the government must also aid consumers to choose green energy technologies in their electricity usage.
As noted by PSSEA Chairperson Tetchi Capellan, “the inefficiencies of our present meters, particularly in reading kilowatt-hour consumption, in billing customers, and collecting payments are not where we want to be in the future.”
She emphasized “these experiences could have been avoided if we had smart meters allowing customers to procure electricity on-line and real-time.”
Capellan added “such technology would have avoided billing disputes and also protect utility workers who would have to read meters amidst a Covid-19 pandemic.”
She was referring to the chaotic billing process that ensued when meter readers could not do actual field works when Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) was raised in Luzon and many other parts of the country.
Consumer-complaints swelled when “bill shocks” transpired because the antiquated meters were not able to provide end-users with real-time data on their power consumption; which should have been a more prudent way for them to manage electricity usage based on their budgets during those uncertain times.
“As the country moves to recover from the effects of this medical crisis, PSSEA advocates and articulates the needed investments in energy infrastructure to transition towards the new normal,” the group said, while stressing that “the industry considers the present circumstances as an opportunity to encourage a new way of thinking about electric power delivery.”
Contrary to what many consumers are agonizing about at this point on their power bills, Capellan noted the solar sector “documented several positive experiences during the two-month lockdown on how homes with solar rooftops were spared from heavy debt exposure brought by an accumulated two-month electricity bill.”
She further conveyed “access to solar energy during the quarantine period avoided high electricity expenses in a period where families lost their jobs and had no compensation.”
In addition, PSSEA President Mike De Guzman asked the Senate “to consider legislative review and expedite the revamping of the 100-kilowatt cap in solar rooftop installation.”
He added “access to Pag-ibig funds has to be streamlined in order for new and existing homeowners to have solar on their rooftops.”
