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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
May 20, 2025 | 6:09pm
Kaiser Marcelino of the USAID Energy Secure Philippines project explains the features of the MES units and the unique capabilities of the special grid-forming inverters (blue boxes) that they are equipped with, May 2025.
US Embassy in the Philippines / Released
MANILA, Philippines — The United States has donated three mobile solar power systems to Palawan aimed at providing electricity to remote areas across the province, the US embassy said on Tuesday, May 20.
The donation comes as part of the US Agency for International Development Energy Secure Philippines program and follows persistent energy challenges in the region in past years.
US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson formally turned over the equipment to Department of Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla and National Power Corporation President Fernando Roxas during a ceremony in Puerto Princesa City on May 16.
The mobile energy systems are "essential tools of resilience and innovation that have been proven to provide power to some of the most remote locations in the country," Carlson said.
The mobile energy system is equipped with 9.18 kW of solar panels and can store up to 70 kilowatt-hours of electricity — enough to power ten Filipino households for an entire day, according to a statement by the US embassy.
On a single charge, the units can also support disaster response teams for up to a week and power satellite communications, computers, phones and essential equipment.
The National Power Corp. will integrate the systems into existing microgrids serving off-grid communities.
This marks the second batch of such units provided by the US government. Last year, similar systems were delivered to the DOE's Emergency Operations Center in Manila and to two municipalities in Cagayan province.
Four additional units are scheduled for deployment later this year, according to USAID Philippines Mission Director Ryan Washburn, who attended the turnover ceremony.
Palawan has struggled with persistent power problems in recent years, including rotational blackouts and power interruptions.
In January 2024, House lawmakers filed a resolution seeking a congressional probe into issues plaguing the Palawan Electric Cooperative (Paleco). The resolution cited alarming increases in electricity rates across the province, with residential consumers seeing rates jump from P11.13 per kilowatt hour in October 2023 to P14.71 by December.
