The country’s largest electric company is asking officials to step in and create safety rules for rooftop solar panels. The main concern is the growing number of unregistered installations that bypass local permits and safety checks.
Meralco’s utility economics head, Lawrence Fernandez, said they support proposed changes to the Renewable Energy Act. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is pushing for these amendments to make it easier for people to connect solar panels to the grid and to cut down on paperwork.
Right now, a 2008 law allows homeowners and businesses to install solar systems up to 100 kilowatts under a net metering program. In simple terms, if your panels produce extra electricity, you get a credit on your monthly bill.
Meralco shared some numbers. Within its franchise area, there are over 20,000 officially registered net metering customers. Their combined capacity is more than 170 megawatts.
Fernandez explained that bigger commercial buildings have quietly put up an extra 370 megawatts of solar panels outside the official program. These systems are much larger, averaging about 700 kilowatts each. If you add those to the registered ones, the total solar capacity in Meralco’s area jumps to over 500 megawatts.
The bigger worry for Meralco is safety. Fernandez pointed out that roughly one third of all solar rooftops in their area are unregistered. He called them “guerrilla installations.” These setups don’t have local government permits or proper inspections. The company learned this from a study by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities. Researchers used Google Earth satellite pictures to compare physical solar panels against the government’s official database.
To fix this, Fernandez wants two things. First, he asked the Department of Energy to team up with the Department of Trade and Industry to set clear technical standards for solar parts like inverters. He noted that even though some standards exist, many installers use cheaper, non compliant equipment. Second, he wants the government to require qualifications for solar installers to protect homeowners and renters.
Fernandez also suggested that the new bill should include a way to help these hidden or unregistered setups become legal. That way, owners can come forward without too much hassle.