SM Supermalls unveils largest rooftop solar farm

SM Supermalls has unveiled its largest self-used rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system to date at SM City Santa Rosa in Laguna, installed across over two hectares of the building.

The solar PV system at SM City Santa Rosa, which recently received a Certificate of Compliance from the Energy Regulatory Commission, is composed of 5,772 panels with 3.088 megawatt peak capacity and annual solar energy production of up to 4.292 gigawatt hours. It will power 15 percent of the mall’s energy consumption needs.

With the latest milestone of scaling the company’s efforts towards energy efficiency, SM Prime reaffirms its commitment towards building for a sustainable future.

“SM Supermalls is committed towards contributing to build a sustainable future. We have made significant strides in clean energy regeneration, as well as water conservation and recycling, and solid waste management. With the continuous support of our partners and the communities where we operate, we believe we can truly reach our science-based goals towards Net Zero by 2040,” Steven Tan, president of SM Supermalls, says.

SM Supermalls first started installing solar PV systems in 2014 at SM City North EDSA — the first mall in the Philippines to harness solar energy. In 2016, the solar power facility in SM Mall of Asia with twice the capacity of SM North EDSA was installed.

By harnessing solar energy, SM Supermalls has reduced reliance on the power grid, which is helpful during times when rising electricity demand is caused by increased temperatures.

SM Supermalls is also part of the Interruptible Load Program (ILP) of the Department of Energy that provides 110 megavolt of power for communities across the Philippines.

Fifty-six malls use their own generator sets instead of relying on the power grid, which has proven helpful when there are local power interruptions and power supply needs to be rationed. SM has the largest ILP contribution among the private sector with SM Mall of Asia providing the highest committed capacity at 15.92 megawatts for this program.

All 85 malls of SM Supermalls are energy efficient. Every mall maximizes natural lighting, through skylights and windows, and all malls have used LED lighting since 2018.