Philippines Pushes Towards Major Support for Solar Energy

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago is pushing for the massive use and installation of solar energy systems in private homes, schools, and government offices around the country to help reduce expenses on electricity and mitigate global warming and air pollution. 

In filing Senate Bill 2751, Santiago said investing in solar power can only lead to greater energy stability and energy dependence and added economic benefits such as increased jobs and lower energy bills. 

“The Philippines will benefit greatly from solar power due to the high levels of sunlight it receives throughout most of the year. Harnessing clean and renewable energy such as solar power can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and protect the environment,” Santiago said.

She said solar photovoltaic technologies are moving rapidly worldwide from serving off-grid niche markets like remote locations to becoming mainstream electricity source. 

Developed countries such as the United States and Japan actively promote the use of these technologies in residential homes and commercial businesses, she said.

Santiago batted for government incentives for individual homeowners and business groups to make solar power cost-competitive with traditional electricity sources.

SB 2751 seeks to provide competitive grants to local governments for rebates, loans and other incentives to eligible individuals or entities for the purchase and installation of solar energy systems for properties located in the Philippines.

Under the proposed law, which shall be known as “Solar Roofs Act of 2010,” a homeowner, business entity, school, college or university, and other individuals who may be deemed by the Energy secretary as appropriate, shall be considered as an “eligible participant.”

In general, Santiago said the solar power program should be administered by the Energy secretary, who shall adopt and implement criteria for awarding grants to local governments that would provide maximum leverage of government funds and maximum deployment of solar energy, and ensure that grants are awarded to a diversity of geographic locations, and recipients with different population sizes. 

“It is the goal, through this Act and any appropriate incentive or research and development program, to install distributed solar energy systems on not less than one million properties located in the Philippines by Dec. 31, 2021,” Santiago said.

Source:  The Philippine Star

SunPower Announces Record Cell Efficiency

SunPower has announced that it has produced a full-scale (mono-crystalline) solar cell with a sunlight to electricity conversion efficiency of 24.2 percent at its manufacturing plant in the Philippines.

This is a new world record, confirmed by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), for large area silicon wafers.

Source:  Solar Daily.   Read full article here.

SunPower Arranges $75 Million Loan Commitment from IFC

SunPower Corp. has secured a $75 million loan commitment from IFC, a member of the World Bank Group. The company's subsidiary, SunPower Philippines Manufacturing Ltd. (SPML), is partnering with IFC to finance SPML's operations in the Philippines.

"SunPower's partnership with IFC will enable us to drive further improvements to our manufacturing processes, which will allow us to continue delivery of the highest-efficiency solar cells to the global market," states Dennis Arriola, SunPower's executive vice president and chief financial officer. "We have been working closely with IFC for more than a year to secure this financing, and we hope to identify additional opportunities in the future."

Under the terms of the loan commitment, SPML can draw up to $75 million over the next two years. The loan must be repaid seven years from the draw-down date.

SOURCE: Solar Industry Magazine