AboitizPower banks on energy storage for grid stability

Aboitiz Power Corp. is boosting investments in energy storage systems to support grid stability and enable the integration of more renewable energy in the country.

AboitizPower Vice President for Energy Storage Systems (ESS) Juris Sadornas said Thursday energy storage systems, which store surplus electricity for use when supply is low, are seen as essential tools in addressing intermittency and maintaining grid reliability as solar and wind capacity grows.

“We have seen in the past certain countries where they focus on a certain technology, but the industry moves so fast,” Sadornas said. 

“Energy storage systems make renewable energy dispatchable and dependable. It is about how fast and agile our technical teams can mobilize and design so that we can put out these batteries on the ground.”

Meanwhile, Jinko ESS Solution Head Charles Teng said storage deployment is rising worldwide as grids struggle to absorb renewable power. 

“For each of the countries, not only those with less advanced infrastructure, but also in China, the grid cannot consume all of the renewable energy,” he said. “So energy storage installations in the next couple of years absolutely are going to be a big trend for renewable energy to continue to grow.”

The Philippine Energy Plan 2023–2050 estimates the country will need over 466 gigawatt-hour (GWh) of energy storage by 2040 and 1,021 GWh by 2050 to support renewable expansion and grid reliability.

To recall, the company has invested in clean mobility through Voltai, a startup under 1882 Energy Ventures that recently launched the country’s first large-scale electric two-wheel battery swapping network for fleet operators.

“The Voltai pilot preview marks the first step toward building the future of fleet e-mobility in the Philippines — smarter, cleaner, and more cost-efficient,” Voltai Co-founder and CEO Fazlur Abdul Rahman said. 

“As a business-to-business solution, it addresses downtime, frequent maintenance, and fuel cost challenges for fleet businesses and riders, while also providing remote visibility on utilization.”

Voltai leases electric motorcycles and batteries and has deployed 15 battery swapping stations in partnership with Cleanfuel and co-living company MyTown.

It supports compliance with the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act, which requires at least 5 percent of vehicle fleets to be electric.