AI Uncovers Solar Energy Utilization Gap in the Philippines 

A new artificial intelligence-powered tool has uncovered an under 1% solar energy utilization rate in some of the largest cities in the Philippines. According to the AI tool, solar utilization rates in Manila and several other large cities in the Southeast Asian country do not live up to their actual rooftop solar potential. The tool mapped 1,846.08 megawatts’ worth of rooftop solar energy capacity in 174 municipalities and cities in the Philippines, in one of the most comprehensive assessments of its solar energy capacity to date. 

Dubbed the Solar Power Estimation of Capacities & Tracking Using Machine Learning (SPECTRUM), the tool uses high-resolution satellite imagery and a wide array of data, including infrared and visible light bands, alongside machine learning algorithms to detect, classify, and estimate rooftop solar systems across the Philippines. Once launched, SPECTRUM found that Luzon, the largest and most populated island in the Philippines, had 1,309.64 MW of rooftop solar, followed by Visayas at 472.48 MW and Mindanao at 61.08 MW. 

Developed by the Institute for Climate & Sustainable Cities (ICSC), a Philippine-based international climate and energy group, the AI model found that most rooftop solar installations in the country were utility-scale (1,398.25 MW), followed by commercial and residential, which accounted for 202.03 MW and 245.8 MW respectively. Furthermore, even though the country’s solar capacity is on the rise, solar utilization rates in most of the major cities in the Philippines remain under 1%. Metro Manila utilized just 0.47% of more than 19,000 hectares’ worth of existing rooftop solar area, while several other cities featured utilization rates below 1%; Metro Iloilo at 0.54%, Metro Cebu at 0.48%, and Metro Davao at 0.16%. 

With Bacolod City featuring the highest rooftop utilization at just 0.81%, the data shows that the Philippines has barely tapped into its vast potential for rooftop solar, especially in dense urban regions. Jephraim Manansala, the chief data scientist at ICSC, says that since surging but unregistered rooftop solar installations contribute to the country’s renewable energy capacity targets, the Philippines needs a more accurate understanding of its total rooftop solar capacity. ICSC executive director Angelo Kairos Dela Cruz says programs like SPECTRUM allow them to convert theory-based research into evidence-supported policies capable of empowering local leaders to adopt climate action strategies and guide energy planning at the national level. 

The think tank notes that SPECTRUM can offer support to an array of users, including local governments, national energy agencies, researchers, developers, and distribution utilities, with the insight it provides guiding investments, informing zoning decisions, improving energy demand forecasts, and ensuring businesses remain compliant with the Philippines’ Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS). With this kind of data-driven approach, the country has a real opportunity to close the utilization gap and accelerate its clean energy transition. 

For-profit firms like SolarBank Corp. (NASDAQ: SUUN) (Cboe CA: SUNN) (FSE: GY2) that are focused on expanding their international footprint could also leverage such tools to ascertain how best to enter new markets. 

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