Iloilo City’s Bold Leap Towards A Greener Future: Joining Forces With MORE Power And ERC To Boost Renewable Energy

MORE Power, owned by business tycoon Enrique Razon, has entered into an agreement with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), and the local government unit (LGU) of Iloilo with regards to the promotion of green energy in the city through the establishment of more renewable energy resources. This will give consumers more options of reducing their energy utilization.

This agreement authorizes MORE Power to organize a one-stop shop to offer renewable energy technologies like Net Metering and Distributed Energy Resources (DER). Net Metering allows consumers to sell their excess power to the distribution grid while DER refers to smaller power sources that could be aggregated to provide the power necessary to meet regular demand.

Mr. Roel Castro, the president and chief executive officer of MORE Power, said that the agreement with the ERC and Iloilo City LGU helps the national government’s drive to play a part in the global commitments to lower greenhouse gas emissions. This is by popularizing the use of renewable energy technologies.

According to Castro, “one of the obligations under the agreement is to have a one-stop shop where applicants and interested parties can come. Our collaboration with the city government has been active for the past three years, and we warmly welcome the involvement of ERC”. Furthermore, he said that being the first in the Visayas to enter into this agreement showcases their strong support for the government.

The ERC will furnish the technical and regulatory skills to streamline the documentary submission, installation, payment and permitting processes of the Net Metering and DER. They will also be part of the information, education, and communication campaign for electricity consumers in Iloilo on renewable energy.

According to ERC chairperson and CEO Monalisa C. Dimalanta, Iloilo is the second pilot LGU with the ERC for Net Metering and greater renewable energy program. She’s optimistic that other LGUs will also be inspired to team up with national agencies to bring answers closer to the people. The ERC has issued certificates of compliance to 72 qualified end-used Net Metering programs in Iloilo with a total capacity of 985.37-kilowatt peak as of June 2023.

Iloilo City mayor Jerry Treñas said that the partnership will address to popularize green practices, siding with the national government’s targets. In Iloilo, their efforts include solar panels at the national high school, city hall, eye care facilities, and dialysis centers.

Treñas said the alliance seeks to promote collaboration opportunities to persuade the use of renewable energy in the locality, advance redevelopment and deployment and share best practices, expertise and data on the programs and policies that can help the consumers of Iloilo follow renewable energy resources.

He also said that DER and Net Metering can also aid the local economy by helping households and small businesses lessen energy consumption.