Faster net metering approvals push solar savings into focus for small businesses

Mindanao Goes Solar backs the DOE’s 10-day processing mandate, citing Persian Gulf tensions and fuel volatility as the ultimate catalysts for a rooftop revolution.

EXCLUSIVE: A solar advocacy group has welcomed the government’s move to speed up net metering approvals under a nationwide push to strengthen energy security, saying the policy could help businesses and public institutions reduce exposure to rising electricity costs driven by global fuel volatility.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued an advisory directing distribution utilities, electric cooperatives, and local government units to fast-track net metering applications as part of efforts to ease electricity costs and accelerate renewable energy adoption during a declared energy emergency under Executive Order No. 110.

The directive sets strict processing timelines, including up to 10 working days for utilities to process applications and up to three working days for certain local permits, with provisions allowing applications to be deemed approved if local offices fail to act within the prescribed period.

Rooftop solar systems to the rescue

For the Mindanao Goes Solar movement, which advocates for household and community-level adoption of solar energy, the measure carries direct economic implications for businesses and government operations facing higher power costs.

Philline van der Wolk-Donggay, project lead of the Mindanao Goes Solar movement, pointed to geopolitical tensions in key oil-producing regions, including the Persian Gulf, as a continuing driver of global fuel price increases that ultimately feed into electricity costs in the Philippines.

Many small and medium enterprises, she noted, could cushion the impact by shifting to rooftop solar systems, allowing them to generate their own electricity and sell excess power back to the grid under the net metering scheme.

“This allows SMEs to avoid some of the negative impact on their operations by turning to the sun as their electricity source,” she said, adding that net metering credits for exported excess electricity can help reduce monthly power bills and ease operating expenses.

The same benefit, she added, extends to local government units and other public offices, which could lower electricity spending tied to fossil fuel-based power generation and redirect savings toward public services.

However, she noted that some rural electric cooperatives in Mindanao operate under limited budgets and may require additional support to meet the capacity demands of accelerated implementation.

Coordinated implementation is key

The group has also been developing information and education materials aimed at strengthening the capacity of distribution utilities, particularly those serving geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

Mindanao Goes Solar expressed openness to collaboration with government agencies, including the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Energy Regulatory Commission, and the National Electrification Administration, to ensure rural electric cooperatives are equipped with the knowledge and resources needed to comply with the policy.

The group said coordinated implementation would be key to ensuring that faster net metering approvals translate into a more inclusive clean energy transition, not only in Mindanao but across the country.

 

 

Solar advocacy group Mindanao Goes Solar has lauded a new DOE directive that mandates a 10-day fast-track for net metering approvals, a move designed to help SMEs and LGUs hedge against soaring fuel prices.

 

 

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