Published
By Myrna M. Velasco
Players in the solar power sector have been batting for coverage in the
government’s stimulus package so the analog electric meters being used in
servicing customers could finally be transformed into digitized or smart
meters.
In a plea lodged by
Philippine Solar and Storage Energy Alliance (PSSEA) to the Senate committee on
Energy, it sought that the lawmakers must consider “stimulus package that
includes the greening and digitization of the energy infrastructure.”
In that proposal, the group had not just batted for fiscal cover on the
deployment of digitized meters; but the government must also aid consumers to
choose green energy technologies in their electricity usage.
As noted by PSSEA
Chairperson Tetchi Capellan, “the inefficiencies of our present meters,
particularly in reading kilowatt-hour consumption, in billing customers, and
collecting payments are not where we want to be in the future.”
She emphasized “these
experiences could have been avoided if we had smart meters allowing customers
to procure electricity on-line and real-time.”
Capellan added “such
technology would have avoided billing disputes and also protect utility workers
who would have to read meters amidst a Covid-19 pandemic.”
She was referring to
the chaotic billing process that ensued when meter readers could not do actual
field works when Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) was raised in Luzon and
many other parts of the country.
Consumer-complaints swelled when “bill shocks” transpired because the
antiquated meters were not able to provide end-users with real-time data on
their power consumption; which should have been a more prudent way for them to
manage electricity usage based on their budgets during those uncertain times.
“As the country moves
to recover from the effects of this medical crisis, PSSEA advocates and
articulates the needed investments in energy infrastructure to transition
towards the new normal,” the group said, while stressing that “the industry
considers the present circumstances as an opportunity to encourage a new way of
thinking about electric power delivery.”
Contrary to what many
consumers are agonizing about at this point on their power bills, Capellan
noted the solar sector “documented several positive experiences during the
two-month lockdown on how homes with solar rooftops were spared from heavy debt
exposure brought by an accumulated two-month electricity bill.”
She further conveyed
“access to solar energy during the quarantine period avoided high electricity
expenses in a period where families lost their jobs and had no compensation.”
In addition, PSSEA
President Mike De Guzman asked the Senate “to consider legislative review and
expedite the revamping of the 100-kilowatt cap in solar rooftop installation.”
He added “access to
Pag-ibig funds has to be streamlined in order for new and existing homeowners
to have solar on their rooftops.”
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