Chinese solar company keen on boosting presence in PHL

CHINESE company Trina Solar Co., Ltd. said it plans to expand its presence in the Philippines, which is expected to achieve its goal of increasing its solar energy capacity this year.

“We will help generate more electricity by pushing solar in the market,” Liu Zhen, Trina Solar’s regional marketing manager for Asia-Pacific and Middle East told BusinessWorld in a recent interview.

Trina Solar supplies modules for Aboitiz Power Corp.’s 94-megawatt (MW) solar project in Pangasinan. The project is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2022.

“We are supplying around 142,000 Trina Solar’s Vertex DE21 modules for this project,” Todd Li, president of Trina Solar Asia Pacific, said in a statement.

Once completed, the power plant is expected to produce 147 kilowatt-hours  of clean energy yearly, or equivalent to the yearly power consumption of about 60,000 households, Mr. Todd said.

Meanwhile, Lim Cheong Boon, Trina Solar’s head of product and marketing for Asia-Pacific, said that the company sees the solar market industry thriving in the Philippines.

“Electricity from the grid is becoming more expensive… Installing rooftop solar allows companies to meet rising electricity needs while also providing an opportunity to significantly reduce their utility bills and reduce CO2 emissions,” Mr. Todd said further.

Coal-fired power plants are still the main source of power in the Philippines in terms of installed capacity, with 57.5% share at 11,684 megawatts (MW) in 2021. Oil-fired power facilities accounted for 16.1% or 4,417 MW and natural gas with 12.5% or 3,453 MW.

Renewable energy (RE) share in 2021 was at 7,965 MW, with solar accounting for the biggest share in RE.

The Department of Energy is initially targeting to increase RE share to 35% by 2030 and to 50% by 2040. — Ashley Erika O. Jose