Arabic version: ارتفاع الطلب على الطاقة الشمسية فوق الأسطح في الفلبين مع زيادة تكاليف الكهرباء

According to Al Jazeera, rising electricity bills following the United States-Israel war on Iran are pushing more Filipino households to install rooftop solar panels. Manila resident Keith Cantera said his family’s monthly electricity bill rose from about $150 before the war began in late February to as much as $220. After years of considering solar, the family is now having panels installed.

Cantera said a home solar system can cost up to $5,000, but he expects the investment to be recovered in about five years at current electricity rates. The Philippines already had Southeast Asia’s highest electricity costs before the war, with prices comparable only to Singapore, where average income is more than 10 times higher.

Energy think tank Ember estimated that rooftop solar panels in the Philippines had nearly doubled since early 2025. Government trade data from China showed $407m in panel imports from March to May, making the Philippines the biggest single overseas market during that period. Solarmaxx chief executive Lexus Grepo said there was a 30-day wait for panels as shipments struggled to meet demand, while the company completed 40 projects in March, nearly triple its usual monthly clientele.

The country relies on imported coal and gas for more than 70 percent of its power mix, and a peso at a record low of more than 63 to the US dollar has made imports more expensive. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr declared a national energy emergency in late March, but rates have continued to rise. The government has launched loans for residential rooftop systems, though they are available only to public-sector workers. Larger renewable projects are also planned, including a 3,500-hectare solar farm north of Manila projected to generate 850 megawatts for 2.4 million households when fully operational.