By Ruben A. Veloria
ZAMBALES, Philippines – Electricity is something most of us take for granted up until it goes out.
For households, businesses, and industries, power interruptions are more than just an inconvenience; they can spoil goods, halt production, and disrupt social services.
In Central Luzon, particularly in Zambales province, this reality has hit especially hard during extreme weather events.
The impact of these climate-related disruptions became starkly evident when Super Typhoon Uwan
(Fung-wong) caused unscheduled power interruptions across Subic,
Castillejos, San Antonio, and San Narciso, leaving households and businesses in the dark. Neighboring Olongapo City was also affected by these power outages.
Economic costs
Many fail to see that beyond the immediate disruptions, power interruptions take a toll on the economic performance of a community.
Anne Estorco Montelibano, President of the Philippine Independent Power Producers Association Inc., explained: a five-hour nationwide power outage can cost the country over ₱500 million pesos in economic losses.
“In 2020, the country’s VoLL was at ₱20.65 per kilowatt hour (kWh). To put this into perspective, for every five hours of no electricity, our country loses about 500 megawatts, which equates to ₱556 million in economic losses. It’s a hefty amount to lose for a developing country,” Montelibano said.
The Value of Lost Load (VoLL), a monetary indicator that measures the economic cost of electricity interruptions, helps quantify the substantial impact power outages have on the economy. Ensuring reliable supply Power loss in the Philippines stems from several factors. Major interruptions often caused by congested and aging power lines, and equipment failure.
Beyond these infrastructure challenges, extreme weather conditions and insufficient supply – where electricity demand from homes and industries exceeds capacity – continue to exert pressure on the power system.
As both economic activity and climate volatility intensify, ensuring a reliable electricity supply has become an imperative.
Data from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) illustrates the delicate balance of supply and demand. As of December 22, 2025, the Luzon grid’s peak demand was 11,831 MW, with an operating margin of 2,755 MW.
While supply may currently meet demand, unforeseen events such as typhoons, equipment failures, or surges in consumption can quickly shrink that margin and increase the chances of brownouts in Central Luzon.
Against this backdrop, Renewable Energy (RE) has emerged not only as a cleaner alternative but as a crucial source of power when the grid needs it most. As of July 31, 2025, Luzon’s grid had 2,609 MW of solar installed capacity forming part of a total 6,600 MW of renewable capacity, including wind, geothermal, hydro, and biomass.
For a tropical country like ours, solar energy is highly compelling. It also stands out among renewables, not because of its constancy, but because of its predictability, speed of deployment, and its ability to add capacity quickly to a grid that is under pressure.
Solar to lead Luzon energy push in 2026
According to the Department of Energy, an additional 7,060.20 megawatts (MW) will come online to the grid in 2026. Of this, 6,710.20 MW will be generated from RE with solar energy accounting for 5,097.14 MW or over 70% of the total new capacity.
Meanwhile, wind energy capacity will add 1,580.84 MW; hydropower, 23.69 MW; geothermal, 5.65 MW; and biomass, 2.88 MW. On top of this, 1,070.16 MW of energy storage systems is expected to be operational in 2026.
Luzon will have the lion’s share of 2026’s newly installed capacity at 6,065.64 MW with the contributions from a mix of renewables and non-renewables, and most notably, solar energy strengthening the region’s grid.
The time has come for solar Solar has emerged to this point where it is no longer supplementary and has now become a core contributor to grid reliability.
As Pete Maniego, former chairman of the National Renewable Energy Board, has pointed out: practical solutions already exist given today’s technologies: expanding rooftop solar and upgrading and optimizing existing solar farms that add capacity quickly and responsibly.
Not just experimental anymore, solar power has proven approaches that can deliver immediate relief to a grid under pressure. With current technologies, solar development has moved beyond old trade-offs, from land conversion to land optimization – solar power and agriculture coexisting and even reinforcing each other.
Maniego adds, these practical, high-impact measures won’t just prevent blackouts; they create jobs, attract private investment, and strengthen energy security, while remaining socially and environmentally responsible. Solar today is no longer just about clean energy; it is about smart, scalable infrastructure that carries real weight in powering the country forward.
