by Lenie Lectura – March 18, 2016
from Business Mirror
TRANSNATIONAL Uyeno Solar Corp. (TUSC), a joint venture between Transnational Renewable Energy Corp. (TREC) and Japan-based Uyeno Green Solutions Ltd. (UGS), will launch more solar-power projects this year to bring its total power-generating capacity to 3 megawatts (MW).
In a news conference, TUSC officials said it has lined up nearly 2 MW of solar-power projects for 2016, mostly for manufacturing companies looking to make the switch to a renewable source of energy.
TUSC General Manager Jen Tablante said the solar-power provider currently has a portfolio of 1 MW, serving an impressive roster of clients, such as Starbucks, Jollibee Foods Corp., Republic Chemical Industries Inc., St. Paul University of the Philippines, USAID, Toyo Ink Philippines, RAM Foods Corp. and the NYK-TDG Maritime Academy in Canlubang, Laguna.
“Of all our projects, we are proud of those that are able to integrate solar energy into the daily lives of our consumers. Projects like our e-trike charging stations and solar-powered Jollibee and Starbucks branches help make the goals of energy efficiency and environmental-protection a shared one with our customers,” TUSC Chairman Rashid Delgado said.
Tablante said the company has around 18 existing solar-power projects. With the additional 2 MW, TUSC is expecting 10 more projects this year.
“We’re in the final stages of signing the contract. Some of them have been signed,” she said.
TUSC Executive Director Nicolas Bivero said the company has just signed a contract with Keppel Philippines for the installation of a 104-kilowatt-hour solar facility in its Batangas shipyard.
In the next five years, TUSC is looking at installing a total of 15 MW of solar-power capacity in various areas of the country.
“We do believe that the middle market is quite substantial in the Philippines. If you go outside Metro Manila, like Laguna and Bulacan, there are very huge factories, warehouses and cold-storage facilities.
There’s a lot of roof space that exists, and there’s a lot more being constructed. That market segment, I believe, is quite a good segment,” Bivero said.
Tablante said the cost of putting up a solar-energy system has gone down by almost half, but the cost of fossil-fuel-based energy continues to rise.
“There are now greater opportunities to improve energy efficiency and to utilize technological advances to generate power in a more socially, economically and environmentally sustainable manner,” she said.
PHILIPPINE POWER INSIGHTS 