The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) have committed to speeding up the approval and energization of rooftop solar power systems, after complaints of prolonged processing times were raised during a Senate committee hearing on Thursday.
Senate committee on energy chairperson Sen. Erwin Tulfo raised the issue during the hearing, stating that he knew individuals who wanted to install rooftop solar panels but were discouraged by reports of lengthy net-metering approval periods from Meralco.
Net-metering is a system that allows a household with solar panels to send excess electricity back to the power grid and receive credits for the electricity it exports. The arrangement is intended to let homeowners offset their electricity bills using the power their own panels generate.
ERC representative lawyer Clarice Ann Bernal said the commission would coordinate with Meralco and other distribution utilities regarding the concerns raised at the hearing. She said the ERC is currently drafting new net-metering rules intended to fast-track applications.
“Dun po sa aming new rules, we will ensure na ma-fast track na po ang mga net metering applications,” Bernal said. (For our new rules, we will ensure that net-metering applications are fast-tracked.)
Tulfo proposed that the approval process be shortened further, suggesting that Meralco conduct its inspection and issue approval within 24 hours where feasible. To illustrate the scale of the problem, he said some homeowners had already spent between P500,000 and more than P1 million on solar installations but remained without approval to fully use their systems’ net-metering arrangement.
“Meron daw po iba, waiting, there weeks. May iba, one month,” Tulfo said. (There are others, waiting for three weeks. Others, for one month.)
Meralco Vice President and Head of Utility Economics Lawrence Fernandez said the approval process involves several steps and requires coordination among distribution utilities, local government units (LGUs), the Department of Energy, and the ERC.
“The industry, with the LGUs and the ERC, has been trying to streamline the whole process to make it, to expedite it for all customers,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez cited the case of the chief of the ERC’s Renewable Energy Division, whose rooftop solar system was energized in less than 20 days from start to finish. He said Meralco’s portion of the process in that case took only three days.
The exchange took place as lawmakers examine bottlenecks facing residential renewable energy adoption in the country, with net-metering delays cited as a recurring obstacle for households seeking to install solar systems.
The panel chairperson asked the ERC to further examine the reported delays following the hearing.
