Manila: The government's bid to include more households in the net metering program is expected to be bolstered by the expected launch next month of a digital net metering application platform, an energy department official said on Wednesday. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary Mylene Capongcol, during the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon program, said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has given directives for the streamlining of processes for net metering applications.

According to Philippines News Agency, a meeting with stakeholders was held on Aug. 14 to discuss challenges such as different policies among local governments, with some requiring sanitary or planning permits, and how to address the issues. Capongcol mentioned that they will partner with, among others, the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Energy Regulatory Commission to standardize the policies and institute reforms, aiming to shorten the processing time to less than 30 days.

The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) will take the lead for the digitalization and public engagement, given the size of its franchise area. The Department of Energy, the Energy Regulatory Commission, and the DILG plus the National Electrification Administration will support Meralco to launch the digital net metering application platform, targeting next month. This initiative aims to enable faster and more transparent processing by Meralco of net metering applications.

Net metering allows electricity consumers to put up their power sources, such as solar panels, to lower their power expenses and share some of their excess supply with distribution utilities to help boost capacity in an area. Capongcol stated that they will collaborate with stakeholders to conduct more consumer education campaigns to inform the public of the program's benefits.