The Philippines is made of up more than 7,000 islands, many of which lie in hard-to-access regions where the provision of electricity via grid extension is not viable.

Through the Philippines Smart Solar Network project, InfraCo Asia aims to establish a commercially viable model of rural electrification in the Philippines, in order to stimulate greater private sector investment in the sector.

The project works in partnership with the local community to install, operate and maintain smart solar network systems that will generate and distribute electricity to households, small businesses and community centres in the Philippines’ off-grid communities, many of which will be receiving first-time, affordable and reliable, 24/7 access to clean energy.

The Philippines Smart Solar Network project is developed through the installation of smart grid controllers in combination with off-the-shelf solar and battery storage components.

The pilot phase of the Philippines Smart Solar Network project involved the installation of a smart solar network in San Isidro, Busuanga, Palawan, which currently provides energy to 62 households. The pilot commenced operations in Q3 2019 and serves to demonstrate the technical and commercial viability of the rural electrification model.
Development and installation of the pilot was led by InfraCo Asia’s contracted developer, Infunde, with the support of AIEC-ILAW – a joint venture of the Association of Isolated Electric Cooperatives Missionary Green Energy Corporation (AIEC-MGEC) and Island Light and Water Energy Development Corp. (ILAW).

With the successful implementation of the pilot project in Q3 2019, InfraCo Asia and AIEC-ILAW are entering into a joint agreement for the expansion phase – to jointly develop smart solar networks that look to serve approximately 4,000 households, as well as develop a pipeline of potential sites for which further capital will be raised.