Why should you care about Spectrum | Buzz Capital – Your Daily News Portal

With the launch of its wholly owned subsidiary, Spectrum, in 2016, Meralco entered the already-competitive solar energy sector in the Philippines.

Despite this, Spectrum prospered over the years and even after the epidemic by capitalizing on Meralco’s illustrious history.

“We entered the market at a time when it was already filled with established solar companies. Admittedly, it was hard for us to match their base at that time,” Spectrum COO Patrick Henry Panlilio, told Asian Power.

In addition, the company initially struggled with offers that cost more, compared to other players.

He noted the company managed to reduce costs and compete through Meralco’s long-standing relations with its partners and manufacturers.

In 2022, Spectrum reported an accumulated installed capacity of more than 50 megawatts (MW) of rooftop solar power. It also increased its customer acquisition by 20%.

In this Q&A, Panlilio shared more insights into how Spectrum broke into the solar rooftop industry, the challenges it entailed, and the opportunities waiting to be captured in the Philippines’ solar energy industry.

Meralco has been the premier energy distribution utility in the Philippines for 120 years and it is accountable for around 55% of the energy distributed in the Philippines. As part of its progressive initiatives, sustainability is at the forefront and center of its operations.

It is for this reason that Spectrum was established. Spectrum embodies Meralco’s sustainability agenda of providing clean, affordable, and accessible renewable energy to its customers.

As the biggest distribution utility in the Philippines, Meralco needed to ensure that grid stability is paramount and cognizant that solar and other renewable energy sources potentially can disrupt the system.

As such, the establishment of Spectrum ensures that Meralco has a hand in ensuring standards are leveled up and compliance with the Philippine Electrical Code is carried out.

Even today we see that there are areas for improvement for the organization and centralisation when it comes to the policies for renewable energy.

Meralco and the Department of Energy (DoE) are working closely to harmonise the guidelines and requirements of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), local government units (LGUs), and other distribution utilities nationwide with Spectrum, providing the expertise on the matter, based on actual market experience.