SM to install solar panels in more malls in 2015

After switching on the largest solar-powered rooftop in its Quezon City establishment, the mall operator unit of Sy-led SM Prime Holdings Inc. will embark on putting more solar installations in its other malls in 2015.

 

Led by President Benigno Aquino III, SM Prime and its partner Solar Philippines on Monday switched on the 1.5 MW solar-powered rooftop at the multi-level car park building of SM City North EDSA.

 

"With the launch of the solar power system that will make SM City North EDSA the very first SM mall in the Philippines to become solar-powered," the President said in his inaugural address.

 

With a generating capacity of 1.5MW, the solar-powered rooftop can supposedly accommodate 5 percent of the mall's average consumption per day—equivalent to about P2 million in savings per month.

 

SM Prime and Solar Philippines installed 5,760 solar panels on the roof deck of car park building of the mall.

 

Solar Philippines founder and president Leandro Leviste said the investment for the  1.5 MW solar-powered rooftop is approximately P120 million.

 

In his speech, the President also bared SM's plans to install solar panels in SM Dasmariñas in Cavite and Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

 

"Of course, it is my hope that you do not stop there: that, eventually, every building that boasts an SM logo will have the same kinds of solar facilities," Aquino noted.

 

In the same event, SM Supermalls president Annie Garcia said the SM Group will be installing 3,243 solar panels in SM City Dasmariñas in Cavite with a capacity of 0.8 MW and 10,534 solar panels in SM Mall of Asia (MOA) with a 2.7-MW capacity.

 

"The one in Dasmariñas is in May 2015. For MOA right now, we're building the expansion. So right after expansion, that's when... hopefully before end-2015," she told reporters after the launch.

 

SM will continue to partner with Solar Philippines for the next solar installations, Garcia said.

 

Leviste said the investment cost for MOA's solar panels would be over P200 million and roughly P60 million for SM City Dasmariñas. "If MOA is double the size, double the cost... If Dasma is half the size, then half the cost," he noted.

 

The partners are also studying if it will be feasible to have more malls to have the same solar installation, Garcia noted.

 

"Of course we have to study it, how malls can afford it. It really depends on the study of Solar Philippines for us," she said.

 

"But we shall continue to seek ways and solutions in climate change adaptation... We shall continue to heed government's call to action," Garcia said.

 

The SM official shared that the solar-powered rooftop in SM City North EDSA is not the group's first venture in renewable energy (RE).

 

"This is SM Prime's first in the Philippines... Our giant first step in clean, RE in the country," she said.

 

"Last year we energized SM City Xiamen in China with 1.1 MW solar energy utilizing 3,740 panels," Garcia added. — TJD, GMA News