Distributed Photovoltaic Economic and Technical Impact Analysis in the Philippines

Despite the significant potential for the deployment of distributed solar photovoltaics (DPV) in the Philippines and the implementation of net-metering since 2013, the current DPV adoption level is still low due to numerous economic and non-economic barriers. Therefore, the government of the Philippines is considering revising the net-metering program. In collaboration with the Philippines Department of Energy (DOE), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through USAID Clean Power Asia, has partnered with the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) to conduct a study to evaluate the economic and technical implications of DPV deployment in the Philippines. To implement this effort, USAID Clean Power Asia leveraged expertise from Chulalongkorn University to conduct technical analyses employing methods used in the 2017 DPV impact assessment for Thailand’s prosumers and distribution utilities.

This study presents research and provides data-driven analysis on three key impacts of DPV adoption, and examines their implications for potential policy and regulatory revisions. The design of this study aims to provide data and facts to inform policymakers’ and regulators’ efforts to achieve a balance between incentivizing DPV investment and minimizing negative impacts on the distribution utilities (DU), non-DPV customers, and the distribution grid.