Alternergy installs Palau’s largest solar and battery energy storage system

Philippine renewable energy firm Alternergy and its subsidiary Solar Pacific Energy Corporation (SPEC) have recently launched the Republic of Palau's first solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) project in Ngatpang state on Babeldoab island. 

With a capacity of 15.3 MWp solar PV and 12.9 MWh BESS, the project is claimed as the largest of its kind in the Western Pacific region, also making it one of the most significant foreign direct investments in the island nation.

The total cost of the project is said to be $29 million. Jointly owned by SPEC and its listed parent Alternergy, the project will meet more than 20 percent of Palau's energy needs. SPEC was awarded a long-term power supply agreement by the Palau Public Utilities Corporation (PPUC) to feed power to the central grid in Badelboab. 

"This is a proud day for Alternergy as a Philippine-based company successfully inaugurating our very first renewable power project abroad," commented Alternergy chairman Vicente S. Pérez Jr. at the time of the project's official launch. 

He highlighted the substantial contributions the project would make to Palau's renewable energy goals and environmental sustainability. "The project will make a significant contribution to Palau in achieving its goal of a 45 percent share of renewable energy in its power generation by 2025, provide 23,000 MWh of clean and renewable power, as well as avoid more than 10,000 tons of carbon emissions per year," he added.

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DNV has assisted the design, pre-construction, construction, and completion stages of the solar-cum-storage project. It has assessed if the design would meet two main purposes - grid smoothing and energy generation - and advised on project scheduling, progress tracking, and checking the EPC contract on SPEC's behalf.

According to DNV's latest Energy Transition Outlook report, Southeast Asia will see solar PV and solar coupled with storage play a significant role in the region's electricity generation share, rising sharply from the late 2030s to generating 74 percent of the electricity by 2050.

"We are delighted to have provided value to SPEC, complemented the developers' plan, minimised the customer's risks and helped to ensure the project's success," commented Brice Le Gallo, Vice President and Regional Director APAC, Energy Systems at DNV. 

"This largest solar-plus-BESS project in the Western Pacific illustrates how we leverage our expertise and experience in handling utility-scale solar and BESS projects to provide best-quality work", he added.