By Juzel L. Danganan
MANILA, July 15 (PNA) — The National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) proposes to put a cap on the power capacity of each solar and wind project to be developed.
NREB proposes developers a capacity limit of 50 megawatts (MWs)for each solar project and 100 MWs for each wind project to allow more players into the RE sector.
“It’s unfair if you will grant very big projects… For solar, if you put a cap of 50 Megawatts (MWs) for each project and there’s 500 MW of target (total) capacity, then there should be at least 10 projects,” NREB chairman Pedro Maniego Jr. said Tuesday at the sidelines of the Energy Smart Philippines 2015 held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
Maniego said the idea was to increase the number of projects, adding it would also catalyze the number of developers that could pursue the technology.
Maniego added the current proposal was implemented in other countries, aiming to increase investors.
He said the policy would be coordinated to the Department of Energy (DOE), which implements the Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) installation target.
It will also be submitted to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) for the checking and approval of the new FIT rates.
However, Maniego noted the certificate of commercial operation, which is required to qualify for the FIT, would still come from the DOE.
Maniego said that DOE Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Zenaida Monsada is also open to more RE projects, citing her former ties to NREB.
But, the NREB chairman assured the board did not want to burden customers with the FIT allowance, which is currently paid through a separate item on the billings of distribution utilities.
He cited Thailand, Spain and Italy which had to pay more due to the lack of a capacity limit.
The NREB, comprised of the private and public sector, functions as the recommendatory body to the ERC and DOE. (PNA)