As rooftop solar adoption accelerates across the Philippines, experts are warning that the absence of clear, standardized regulations could compromise public safety, grid reliability and consumer protection.

Professional electrical engineers, utilities and safety advocates are now calling for urgent action to tighten oversight on solar photovoltaic (PV) installations, particularly those that bypass permits, inspections, and coordination with distribution utilities.

Cheap, DIY solar: growing but risky trend

Alongside the growing enthusiasm for rooftop solar comes a parallel rise in safety concerns, driven largely by the expanding market of doityourself (DIY) and unregistered solar installations. Just like other cheap and easily accessible devices or equipment, many of these systems operate outside government regulations and do not follow standard safety standards — bypassing professional oversight and ignoring compliance with the Philippine Electrical Code.

Under Republic Act (RA) No. 7920 or the New Electrical Engineering Law, only duly licensed electrical practitioners are authorized to design, install, and operate electrical systems — which cover solar home systems that are meant to generate own electricity.

The Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers Inc. (IIEE) in a statement released on 12 May 2026, said non-compliant solar installations such as unregistered or “guerrilla” systems could expose consumers and communities to significant risks including electrical fires, electrocution hazards, equipment failure, unsafe back-feeding conditions and power quality and grid stability issues.

“The Institute emphasizes that renewable energy development must always be pursued alongside strict adherence to electrical safety standards, sound engineering practices, and existing laws, rules, and regulations intended to protect life, property, public safety, and grid reliability,” the IIEE said.

“Electrical safety and renewable energy development must progress hand in hand,” it added.

Professional Regulation Commission Board of Electrical Engineering chairman Engr. Adelino V. Garcia Jr. underscored that solar PV systems require licensed and skilled professionals to undertake design installation and operation in strict compliance with RA No. 7920.

This, as he shared online an incident where portions of a property was visibly burnt apparently from an unsafe solar PV installation.

“These kinds of installations are actually small power generation systems that require permits and associated design calculations that only licensed and qualified technical personnel can undertake,” Engr. Garcia Jr. said in a social media post where he also urged electrical practitioners to intensify information and educational campaigns to inform consumers not only of the benefits but also the dangers of improper installations.

Former IIEE national president Engr. Francis Mapile echoed these concerns, noting the need to tighten regulations on solar PV systems especially unregistered or guerrilla installations.