13 July 2026
Empowering the Grid: Why Over 90% of Filipinos See Supportive Solar Policies as the Only Way Forward per Latest Survey
Empowering the Grid: Why Over 90% of Filipinos See Supportive Solar Policies as the Only Way Forward per Latest Survey
Matthew Carpio, Head of Transaction Advisory
Ivan Galura, Head of Policy
Ruth Reyes, Marketing Associate
13 July 2026 – Manila, Philippines – According to the recent Pulse Asia survey, 93% of Filipinos state that rising electricity demand makes affordable rooftop solar increasingly necessary and that supportive solar policies are the only way forward.¹
The findings emerge in the wake of a prolonged energy crisis, leaving consumers with high electricity bills and grid instability. It revealed that a majority of 97% Filipinos are highly concerned about the country’s current energy challenges.² When asked about sustainable solutions, 66% of respondents identified expanding renewable energy (RE) as the most effective long-term approach, with rooftop solar emerging as the public’s highest priority among all renewable options.³
The data marks a significant shift in public perception. Rooftop solar is no longer viewed as a luxury; it is now seen as a necessity by 85% of Filipino respondents.⁴ However, affordability hinders wider adoption, emphasizing the critical need for lower costs, better access to information, and affordable financing to make solar technology accessible to residential consumers.⁵
The survey conveys a clear message and highlights a significant emerging opportunity: Filipinos are ready to make the shift, but realizing this future depends on establishing robust regulatory support and accessible financing mechanisms that bring clean energy within reach of every household.
State of Solar in the Philippines and Other Countries
According to global energy think tank Ember, rooftop solar capacity in the Philippines has surged to 721 MW in early 2025, based on available satellite tracking data on solar installations. When broken down, data shows that the residential sector accounts for 371 MW, while the commercial and industrial sectors account for 214 MW, and 136 MW in rooftops over 1 MW, indicating high capacity within the residential sector.⁶
Furthermore, data from the Philippine Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) reveals that as of March 2026, over 22,000 customers nationwide have adopted solar photovoltaic (PV) technology and exported surplus power generation to their distribution utility (DU), realizing rebates and savings under the net-metering program.⁷ However, despite this strong momentum, a study conducted by the Ateneo de Manila University found that adoption of solar PV remains low due to high upfront costs.⁸
To overcome these bottlenecks, the Philippines can look to and glean from global and regional success stories that have achieved rapid mass solar adoption. In Pakistan, the energy system has been transformed by rooftop solar in less than five years, resulting in an explosive distributed solar deployment of approximately 38 GW between 2022 to 2025 across residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural sectors.⁹ This massive shift was driven by low import taxes, falling global panel prices, a supportive net-metering policy that incentivized early adopters, and the need to bypass chronic grid load shedding. It also offered cheap, reliable electricity at roughly half the price of the standard grid tariff, around PKR 20 per kWh compared to the grid’s PKR 40.¹⁰
Meanwhile, Australia’s largest source of clean energy is solar and is leading globally in terms of residential rooftop solar installation per capita, with households installing a total of 22 GW as of December 2025.¹¹ This milestone was achieved through generous government subsidies, rebates, and loan options that help cover the upfront costs of solar. Key drivers include the federal Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs) for point-of-sale discounts, and the Community Solar Banks program, which extends shared solar technologies to renters and apartment buildings. Additionally, state-level solar and battery rebates or interest-free loans can cover part or all of the upfront costs, though these localized programs are often targeted at specific groups, such as low-income households or social housing.¹²
Both countries demonstrate that the right mix of policy, grid integration, and economic incentives can effectively unlock a country’s rooftop solar potential.
The Path Forward
To translate public demand into widespread adoption, the Philippines must shift from acknowledgement to policy execution. The immediate path forward requires optimizing existing frameworks, introducing flexible regulatory pathways, and breaking down the financial barriers that keep clean energy out of reach for households.
- Streamlining Net-Metering for Residential Owners
The ERC and the Philippine Department of Energy (DOE) continue to streamline the net-metering program requirements for customers. Under Executive Order No. 110, the application process has been shortened to just 10 days.¹³ The ERC also recently cited that it has cut red tape for net-metering consumers, specifically streamlining the ERC’s requirements for issuing a Certificate of Compliance, which cuts mandatory submissions and eliminates contract notarization.¹⁴ Additionally, the DOE provided a supplemental policy¹⁵, expanding consumer benefits and participation in net-metering by allowing consumers to retain ownership of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from the electricity generated from their solar rooftop installation. The RECs may be traded as clean energy credits for an extra revenue stream and savings, and share net-metering credits across multiple accounts within the same utility service area. - Deploying Targeted Financial Initiatives
To eliminate the upfront cost bottleneck, the Philippines must deploy targeted financial mechanisms. This includes government-backed “green” financing from banks and government financial institutions, risk guarantees, low-interest solar loans, and flexible installment plans explicitly designed to eliminate the residential upfront cost barrier. Crucially, there is a growing need for specialized financing programs tailored specifically for the middle- to low-income sectors, allowing them to be an active part of the country’s RE charge. - Setting the Stage for Retail Energy Participation below 100 kW
As the Philippines moves toward lowering the threshold for retail open access below 100 kW as part of further access under the Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) and Retail Aggregation Program (RAP), it is further democratizing the energy sector down to the household level, eventually. This equips and prepares households to maximize the benefits of direct access to utility-scale RE once it becomes fully available. Ultimately, this bridges the gap between large industrial users and everyday consumers, accelerating the adoption of RE. - Unlocking Additional Revenue Streams for Solar Rooftop Adopters
Specific guidelines and support mechanisms must be introduced that follow through on the DOE’s 2023 policy, creating new business models to accelerate rooftop solar adoption.¹⁶ DUs must be required to develop specific pathways for consumers with more than 100 kW to participate under the Supply Contingency Option program and export power to the DU’s network during power supply shortages and emergency situations. Specific rules are also needed to unlock and implement the Lease-to-Generate Option, as well as Restricted Peer-to-Peer Trading, which could provide additional revenue streams and attract rooftop solar adoption.
As public demand for affordable clean energy continues to soar, policy and regulatory frameworks must be safely designed to support, encourage, and accelerate innovation within the renewable sector. This is especially important for the retail rooftop solar market to ensure that continued mass adoption is not derailed; instead, any additional policies should support, build upon, and protect growing public confidence.
Climate Smart Ventures has been working closely with government agencies to provide strategic support in accelerating the energy transition in the Philippines. We recognize and express strong, optimistic support for the Philippine government’s current momentum and its ongoing push to enhance net-metering and improve distributed energy regulations. The government’s recent proactive stance and investments in RE, particularly in rooftop solar, are highly encouraging and show its commitment to energy security, positioning itself as a regional market leader in rooftop solar deployment. Aligning regulatory frameworks with market realities will be key to unlocking the country’s full clean energy potential.
Conclusion
The recent Pulse Asia survey provides a clear response from the Filipino people and serves as a proactive consumer response against volatile, high-power prices. This demand does more than just push for more solutions to the ongoing energy crisis; it also underscores that the high-potential emerging market in the rooftop solar transition is a cornerstone of long-term energy security. This is a future where both the residential and small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sectors actively support and adopt clean energy. To sustain this momentum and prevent it from stalling, bridging the gap between public willingness and financial affordability will be the critical next step that allows the Philippines to secure its clean energy future.
¹ 350 Pilipinas, “93% of Filipinos Demand Government Action to Make Rooftop Solar Affordable, New Pulse Asia Survey Reveals,” press release,, July 2, 2026, https://world.350.org/philippines/press-release/pulse-asia-energy/.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Dave Jones and Alnie Demoral, “How the Philippines’ Rooftop Solar Surge Can Flip the Energy Emergency Script,” Ember, May 28, 2026, https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/how-the-philippines-rooftop-solar-surge-can-flip-the-energy-emergency-script/.
⁷ AboitizPower, “Filipino Majority Interested in Residential Solar Tech, but Weigh Prevailing Challenges to Adoption,” news release, March 25, 2026, https://aboitizpower.com/news/solar/filipino-majority-interested-in-residential-solar-tech-but-weigh-prevailing-challenges-to-adoption.
⁸ Ibid.
⁹ Ember, “The Solarisation of Pakistan’s Energy Economy,” June 25, 2026, https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/the-solarisation-of-pakistans-energy-economy/.
¹⁰ Ibid.
¹¹ Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), “Businesses Left Behind in Australia’s Rooftop Solar and Storage Stampede,” March 18, 2026, https://ieefa.org/articles/businesses-left-behind-australias-rooftop-solar-and-storage-stampede.
¹² “Government Rebates and Loans for Solar,” Energy.gov.au, Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, accessed July 7, 2026, https://www.energy.gov.au/solar/financial-benefits-solar/government-rebates-and-loans-solar.
¹³ Philippine Information Agency (PIA), ”DOE Speeds Up Net Metering Application Process to 10 Days,” news release, April 8, 2026, https://pia.gov.ph/news/doe-speeds-up-net-metering-application-process-to-10-days/.
¹⁴ Bilyonaryo News Channel, “ERC Cuts Red Tape for Solar Net Metering as Power Rates Rise,” news release, June 19, 2026, https://bnc.bilyonaryo.com/erc-cuts-red-tape-for-solar-net-metering-as-power-rates-rise/business/.
¹⁵ Philippine Department of Energy (DOE), “DOE: Whole-of-government Push Speeds Up Net-metering Permits, Approvals, and Benefits,” press release, February 1, 2026, https://doe.gov.ph/articles/3281199–doe-whole-of-government-push-speeds-up-net-metering-permits-approvals-and-benefits.
¹⁶ Philippine Department of Energy, “Prescribing the Policy and General Framework on the Expanded Roof-Mounted Solar Program in the Philippines,” Department Circular No. DC2023-12-0035.
About Climate Smart Ventures
Climate Smart Ventures (CSV) is an advisory firm advancing the energy transition in Asia. The company’s expertise spans coal-to-clean utility-level transition, industrial decarbonization, grid transformation, and government-level policy recommendations. To support these transitions, the firm provides specialized technical services including M&A due diligence, valuation model reviews, the development of Green, Social, and Sustainability- Linked frameworks paired with Second Party Opinions (SPOs), and end-to-end carbon markets advisory and trading capabilities.
Additionally, CSV’s Solutions Studio serves as the firm’s innovation hub. It leverages data-driven tech and digital tools to operationalize next-generation climate-smart initiatives that unlock new value for the region.
On the capital advisory and deployment side, CSV launched Asia Energy Transition Platform (AETP) in 2023, a venture capital fund investing in next generation distributed renewable energy projects in Southeast Asia. In parallel, CSV is a joint-venture partner in Reviva Transition Partners, a first-of-its-kind equity fund driving commercially viable transitions from legacy coal to clean energy in emerging markets.
For more information, visit https://climatesmartventures.com.