Quezon City increases total solar capacity by 73% in less than two years
Amid continuing concern over the possible effect of El Niño on energy security, the Quezon City government has expanded the use of rooftop solar by as much as 73% increase in less than two years.
From approximately 33.85 megawatts (MW) based on 2023–2024 data, the city’s estimated total solar capacity has reached 58.55 MW, according to an updated data from the Solar Power Estimation of Capacities and Tracking Using Machine Learning (SPECTRUM) platform developed by energy think tank Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC).
ICSC said Quezon City’s growing solar capacity demonstrates how local government leadership and investments in renewable energy can help make electricity more affordable and sustainable for Filipino consumers.
The group said the city’s expanding use of rooftop solar highlights the potential of urban areas to generate their own electricity and the opportunity to extend its benefits to more households and communities.
ICSC said more than 95% of the present total capacity comes from roof-mounted solar systems at 55.88 MW. These installations could generate more than 78 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity annually, equivalent to at least 1.35% of the city’s total electricity consumption in 2025.
“The increase may be attributed in part to Quezon City’s expanded solarization program and parallel initiatives of the private sector,” ICSC said on Thursday.
The Quezon City government began with installations on several buildings within its compound and further extended the program to public schools and city-owned hospitals.
Solar installations in major commercial establishments, including SM, Ayala, and Robinsons malls, have also contributed to the city’s increased solar capacity.
The group said latest analysis data show a marked increase in commercial-industrial and utility-scale installations in Quezon City driven by solarization projects in malls and large enterprises.
“Beyond investments in solar installations, Quezon City has also institutionalized renewable energy and energy efficiency measures through its Green Building Code of 2025, which sets green building requirements for buildings and infrastructure, including those under construction or renovation,” it added.
However, despite the 73% increase in estimated solar capacity, rooftop solar adoption remains below 1%. ICSC said this points to the need to expand access, particularly among households, socialized housing communities, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and other institutional and public establishments.
SPECTRUM estimates that Quezon City has a maximum rooftop solar potential of 4,916 MW, indicating substantial room to expand installations across residential, commercial, and institutional sectors.
“Quezon City’s growing solar capacity demonstrates the game-changing role that solar rooftop plays in meeting the electricity needs of urban communities,” says ICSC Senior Advisor on Energy Literacy and Energy Democracy, Atty. Monalisa Dimalanta.
“While adoption accelerates, the challenge now is to ensure that this growth is enjoyed by a wider base of consumers, particularly for households and small businesses that cannot easily shoulder the upfront cost of installation. We need to expand access to affordable financing and seamless permitting processes to expand the benefits of rooftop solar to more households and businesses,” she added.
SPECTRUM is a publicly accessible web platform that visualizes and estimates the capacity of solar installations in the country using high-resolution multispectral satellite images and machine learning models. It helps address the gap in comprehensive tracking of installed solar capacity in the country to support efforts toward achieving national renewable energy targets, data-driven energy planning, and policy development.
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