ACEN Powers Up Philippines 1st Hybrid Solar-Storage Plant

ACEN, the listed energy platform of the Ayala Group, has switched on the first hybrid solar and energy storage project of the Philippines.

The pilot 40 MW energy storage project located in Alaminos, Laguna, will allow the company to evaluate opportunities to store energy more effectively across the portfolio of ACEN, with the aim to provide a sustainable and reliable energy source for the Philippines, said an official statement.

The 2×20 MW energy storage facility is adjacent to ACEN’s 120 MW Alaminos solar farm, and is configured to help manage internal electricity demands, store electricity when the solar plant is generating power but demand is low, and provide rapid power charging when the demand is high. It will also provide ancillary services to the national grid.

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The facility holds 24 battery containers with SAFT 2.5 MWh lithium-ion batteries, likely enough to power about 20,000 homes and avoid 35.87 MTCO2e emissions per year.

“We are delighted to start the operations of ACEN’s very first battery energy storage project,” said ACEN President & CEO Eric Francia. “We will be looking to increase our investments in storage as the technology increases its viability and competitiveness.”

“We are taking advantage of battery storage technology’s fast response, scalability and ease of integration into our renewable projects,” said Jose Maria Zabaleta, ACEN’s Chief Development Officer. “With the Alaminos Energy Storage project, we can harness renewable energy more effectively amidst its variability while improving the operating capabilities of the grid and ensuring high reliability.”

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The Alaminos Solar and Storage hybrid facility is notable for its pioneering Sustainability Hub, where the plant is surrounded by Ayala Land’s Carbon Forest, a woodland reserve that acts as a carbon trap and home to biodiversity, says ACEN.

A plastic recycling facility has also been integrated to pilot the circular approach, diverting plastic waste from landfills to be upcycled into eco-bricks and to be used in building facilities within the plant.

And with a future Eco Learning Center already underway, ACEN aims to create awareness on various climate action programs such as nature-based solutions which are essential for the protection and restoration of natural ecosystems, the company adds.

ACEN seeks to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, hoping to becoming the largest listed renewables platform in Southeast Asia.