By Myrna M. Velasco

At its initial rollout this coming 2019, Singapore-based Trina Solar is targeting to chalk up 10-percent or a range of 5.0 to 6.0 megawatts of the emerging market of solar installations for residential end-users in the Philippines.

Trina Solar Philippines country manager Junrhey Castro indicated that the Philippines has a huge potential for solar homes on small-scale – given that many banks are also willing to lend to homeowners intending to shift to clean energy sources.

Upfront costs for homeowners intending to go solar could range from R100,000 to R200,000, he said, noting that cost viability had gone more affordable compared to the exorbitant R1.0 million or higher investment that only the more affluent residential market could afford in recent years.

Castro said they generally partner with distributors on the targeted rollout of solar solutions to Filipino homes – coupling that with enhancing the technical capacity of installers, including among Filipino talents.

He emphasized that the market introduction of solar among residential end-users in the Philippine market “is in line with the nation’s target of becoming energy self-sufficient and having a cheaper and more reliable source of energy.”

Castro noted their “Trinahome” solar solution brand will be “the first plug-and-play residential and commercial solution in the Philippines,” coming with a 25-year warranty and underpinned by the technology of a globally acclaimed supplier.

He added “this solution is targeted towards residential and small-to-medium-sized commercial applications for distributed power generation.”

With this technology choice for green-leaning Filipino homes, Castro emphasized that this will be a game-change not just for the energy sector but even individuals wanting to make a difference in their preferences on electricity usage.

To enable them to shift, Castro said there are enabling policy underpinnings such as the Green Energy Option Program (GEOP) that individual consumers can avail of.

Like all other solar-anchored solutions and offers, Trina Solar is similarly dangling cost savings to shifting end-users – and that could come after the estimated payback of 4-5 years on their respective upfront costs on installations.

“The Philippines has some of the most expensive electricity prices in Asia,” Castro said, qualifying further that since this is a major expense for households and businesses, the cost-competitive proposition for solar is becoming an enticing precept to consumers.

“Solar energy is cheaper than energy from the grid, since your rooftop becomes your own power generation source,” he stressed, adding that “the cost of solar systems has significantly decreased in the past years – thanks to the new manufacturing technology and economics of scale.”