Philippines PV Close to 1 GW

• Philippines Department of Energy says the country had an installed solar power capacity of 903 MW as of December 31, 2016
• Grid connected capacity was 900.18 MW, the other 3.22 MW came from self-consumption projects
• Under the country's Renewable Energy Law, 166 solar power projects were awarded as of reporting date
• Another 2,130.80 MW of solar power projects were pending end of 2016
• Construction work on a 150 MW solar power project begins in Concepcion, Tarlac

At the end of December 2016, the Philippines had an installed renewable energy capacity of 4,521.74 MW. Solar's share came to a total of 903 MW. Out of this, 900.18 MW was connected to the grid, the remaining 3.22 MW was for self-consumption. This number does not include 55 other installed renewable energy projects.

A total of 755 renewable energy projects were awarded by the end of 2016, with grid connected projects coming to a total of 715. Hydropower projects made up most on this list with 413, followed by 150 solar on-grid and 16 off-grid projects with a total potential capacity of 4,081.5 MW. The total potential generating capacity is 17 GW.

The Philippines DoE says around 2,130.8 MW of solar power capacity were pending projects at the end of 2016, under the RE Law. This capacity is to come from 201 solar power projects, which the department has yet to give the green light to. The detailed list of these projects is available on the website of DoE and can be accessed here.

In a separate release, the DoE shared that project developer Solar Philippines has begun construction on a 150 MW solar power project in Concepcion, Tarlac. For the project, Solar Philippines will be using locally manufactured solar panels. It is expected to be completed later this year.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said that he sees great potential for solar power in the country as the country's power demand is 13,000 MW, and the supply is around 14,000 MW.