Solar projects lined up by Spectrum to double installed current capacity

By Lenie Lectura – November 13, 2018
from Business Mirror

SPECTRUM, the renewable-energy subsidiary of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), has lined up more solar-power projects this year that would double its current installed capacity.

“We’re building a series for installations for next year totaling more than 10 megawatts [MW] again,” said Spectrum Commercial Services Head Robert Marlon Pereja.

Spectrum has already put up 10 MW. The company’s single-largest power project is the 2.5-MW ground-mounted own-use solar-power facility of Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp.’s factory in Batangas.

The planned 10 MW of additional solar capacity will be composed of “a couple of small projects installed for the purpose of net metering within 100-kilowatt hour solar capacity, in which customers are allowed to sell their excess production to the grid via the government’s net metering program.”

He said Meralco has already installed a micro-grid system in Sulu.

A micro grid is a small-scale power grid that can operate independently with other small power grids.

If the micro grid can be integrated with the area’s main power grid, it is often referred to as a hybrid micro grid.

“We already installed as far as Sulu for a micro grid. It’s a very small system for one of the DepEd schools. We’ve installed to some DepEd schools because we’re also working with One Meralco Foundation,” he said.

Earlier, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said it would amend its draft rules on micro grids to address the possible legal implications of the entry of the private sector into the franchise areas of electric cooperatives (ECs).

This after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered full energization in rural areas by opening unserved and underserved areas to private entities.

The call was heeded by the private sector. They are now eager to put up micro grids even in areas that are within the franchise territory of ECs.