Solaric Philippines

Systems Loss. What is it, Can we make it go away?

A customer asked what exactly is systems loss, is it caused by illegal connections and that theft is passed on to consumers. Why are we paying for a loss? Can we make it go away?

These are questions we get everyday and recently a super hot topic. Here is our take on it, where it comes from and what can be done practically to reduce it and of course lower the cost for every Juan.

Understanding System Losses—and Why Where Electricity Is Generated Matters

There's been a lot of discussion lately about system loss charges. Rather than focusing on who should shoulder the cost, it's worth understanding what system losses actually are.

Every time electricity travels through power lines, transformers, and other equipment, a small portion of that energy is naturally lost as heat. This is called technical loss. It's a physical reality of every electrical grid in the world—it isn't unique to the Philippines.

The farther electricity travels, the more losses are made before electricity comes out of your outlet. Distant power plants, more systems loss. Aging cables and infrastructure, more heat more loss.

There are also non-technical losses, such as electricity theft, faulty metering, or billing issues. These are different from the technical losses that occur simply because electricity has to travel long distances. That is the one we automatically think about when we think of "jumpers" or the infamous wiring spaghetti, or those billing errors that double count some months.

So how do we reduce technical losses? Does Rooftop Solar help?

One of the most effective long-term solutions is distributed energy, or Distributed Energy Resources—generating electricity closer to where it's used or even point of consumption. Solar on a rooftop reduces grid system losses as there would be less voltage drop to power that one more house in an over stretched distribution grid, especially if they are exporting or net metered. One could imagine how much less systems loss if only they make net metering easier and they shall build.

When a home, business, or factory has rooftop solar:
☀️ The electricity is consumed right where it's produced.
⚡ Less power needs to travel long distances through the distribution network.
🔌 This reduces loading on power lines and transformers.
📉 Lower loading means lower technical losses and a more efficient grid.

If net metered, additional energy is injected during peak daytime hours when system losses are its highest. Hotter sunny temps cause more resistance or system losses in transmission, injecting power from distributed resources reduces stresses on transmission and distribution lines during these critical hours.

Think of it like delivering water. If every neighborhood has its own well, you don't need to pump as much water through miles of pipes. The shorter the journey, the less is lost along the way.

As more distributed energy resources—such as rooftop solar, battery storage, and community energy systems—are added to the grid, the benefits extend beyond individual solar owners. A more distributed grid can help improve efficiency, enhance resilience, and reduce the amount of electricity lost during delivery.

Unfortunately system loss simply cannot go away, its like one of immutable physics laws of Thermo dynamics and Ohms law but like any engineering problem they can be reduced or mitigated by proper engineering.

No single solution will solve every challenge facing our power system. We still need reliable baseload generation, transmission, and distribution. But distributed energy is becoming an important part of building a smarter, more efficient, and more resilient electric grid.

The conversation shouldn't just be about who pays for system losses—it should also be about how we can reduce them for everyone's benefit....perhaps removing VAT on a loss is one low hanging fruit that can be picked, or real talk on how hard it is to get net metering permit from your city and why does it have to be this way.

So the challenge we have to progress and get out of this energy crisis is to come up with doable long term solutions that provide resilience on how we source energy. Without a doubt the world is changing, there is no such thing as cheap coal, or cheap nat gas. Self reliance and modernizing our grid to accept more renewable energy from homegrown sources is key to the energy transition.

Making energy more affordable and more attainable is not done overnight but careful planning on how to source, bill, and accountability of this precious resource is key in surving these crazy times.

The New York Times featured Solaric!

When they reached out, my first question was: "Why us?"

The New York Times is known for doing its homework. They wanted to understand how countries outside the usual headlines are responding to today's energy uncertainty.

Why are Filipinos investing months, or even years, of hard-earned savings into solar?
Is it about the environment? Savings? Energy security?

The answer is simpler than many think.

Solar is no longer just about saving money. For many Filipinos, it's about survival.

For decades, we assumed electricity would always be available, even if it became more expensive. Recent global events shattered that certainty, and people are now asking:

"What if fuel becomes unaffordable?"
"What if power shortages become normal?"
"How do I protect my family from rising energy costs?"

The reporter asked whether installing solar is a political statement.
No. It's a practical one. simply "a way to survive the new age"

The Philippines imports 99% of its fuel. Its peso weakens on every global conflict, every supply disruption eventually shows up that shows up on our electric bills.

Solar gives Filipinos a way to take back some control, that bankable certainty of the Sun rising and powering everything in your home and more.

For years, Solaric advocated Solar with net metering. Today, we are also seeing strong demand for batteries as families and businesses prepare for a future where resilience matters as much as savings.

The New York Times noticed something remarkable: solar adoption in the Philippines has accelerated dramatically, but that didn't happen overnight.

For more than a decade, we trained thousands of installers, educated homeowners, pushed for better policies, and helped build an industry. We even trained many who would later become our competitors. That's fine. Our mission was never just to sell solar panels. It was to turn on the sun, one roof at a time.

Today, hundreds of solar companies and thousands of Filipino workers are helping energize the country at a scale few imagined possible.

Some want to slow it down. Some want to regulate it. Some call solar installers "guerillas" or "gorillas."

Call us what you want.

But every Red Alert, every Yellow Alert, and every record electric bill sends the same message:

The energy equation has changed.
The Filipino people understand that.
And when necessary, Filipinos always find a way.

We were not featured by The New York Times because we sell solar panels. We were featured because the world is watching how Filipinos are adapting to an energy crisis, and Proudly we are Filipinos, Survivors who wait for no one to solve our problems.

Solaric - Turn On the Sun

Got a Solar question feel free to call us at
Globe 09178603141 0927 3478543 0945 349 6113
Smart 0930 034 9539 963 0213502 0908377 5577
[email protected]
www.solaric.com.ph

Energy crisis is real.

Yesterday the grid simply ran out. A red alert condition was called and utilities across Luzon had to ration power so the grid would not collapse. There are a number of complex reasons why this is so but to put it bluntly, we don’t have enough energy to fuel our economy, way of life or run airconditioning for this brutal heat.

Social Media is on fire with people demanding lower energy costs, bill transparency and lately to defend the right to have Solar.

Names have been called, and Solaristas were painted and red tagged as if it is some rouge guerilla unit undermining the might of an unquestionable monopoly.

It could be said that there are forces out there who do not want you to put solar on your roof without jumping hoops and hurdles.

Solaric processed thousands of Net Metering installations throughout the Philippines. We have seen it all take it astride and just keep dishing them out daily. Some of their reasons plausible and others utter nonsense but at the end of the day, the business owner, home owner and every day Juan de la Cruz wants options on how they pay and source their electricity.

For years, Filipino families and businesses have turned to solar because electricity prices in the Philippines remain among the highest in Asia. People are not installing solar out of rebellion — they are trying to survive rising power costs, and if its net metered, be a part of building up our Nations energy reserves by sharing its power with a clearly starved energy grid.

As one of the country’s largest and vocal solar installation companies, we fully support proper engineering, safety standards, and legal compliance. Every system should be designed correctly, installed safely, and documented properly.

At the same time, we also recognize the reality many customers face:
• permitting can take far too long
• requirements can become excessive or simply unattainable
• approvals can drag on for months or even years
When the process becomes too difficult, some people inevitably look for shortcuts. That is not the long-term solution.

The answer is not unsafe installations but making the path for legitimate installs easier for ordinary Filipinos.
The answer is a better system:
✔ faster permitting
✔ clear and reasonable requirements
✔ Uniform and fair safety standards
✔ wider access to affordable clean energy
We believe Filipinos deserve solar that is:
SAFE.
LEGAL.
PROFESSIONALLY INSTALLED.
AND ACCESSIBLE.

If you are investing in solar, choose experienced installers who stand behind their work, comply with standards, and will still be here years from now to support your system.

The future of energy in the Philippines should be responsible — not restrictive.

Not all is bleak, National goverment has heard the growing outrage and directed concerned agencies and LGUs to get their act together in making Solar more accessible, easier and yes the all important Safety First.

Please call us if you are tired of paying Asia's Highest electricty rates?

📞 Globe: 0927 347 8543 | 0917 860 3141 | 0945 349 6113
📞 Smart: 0930 034 9539 | 0963 021 3502 | 0908 377 5577
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.solaric.com.ph

Observations from a solar guy.

Lately I’ve been looking at electricity bills and honestly wondering when it quietly got this expensive. You try to be responsible, turn things off, be mindful, and still it feels like the numbers keep creeping up anyway. Then you hear about what’s happening globally with fuel and energy and you start thinking a bit further ahead. Not in a dramatic way, just realistically. What happens if prices spike again, or if running air conditioning all day starts to feel like something you have to think twice about.

These are the kinds of conversations we’ve been having a lot at .

We’ve been in solar for more than 13 years, and the shift in how people think about energy is very obvious now. Before, solar was something people looked at to save a bit or because they liked the idea of it. Now the mindset is different. People are asking how to stay ahead of rising costs and how to have a bit more control over something that feels like it’s getting less predictable.

Even on our end, we started moving a big part of our vehicle fleet to EVs around three years ago. At the time it felt like we were just being proactive, but it made sense because our office was already running on more than 100 percent renewable energy from our own solar setup. Looking at it now, it feels less like an early move and more like something that was bound to happen anyway.

What’s interesting is how the questions coming in have changed. A few years ago, nobody was really asking about EV charging. Now it comes up almost every day. People will say they just got an EV and want to know how much solar they actually need to support it.

The answer is usually pretty straightforward. Most home chargers are around 7 kilowatts, so we recommend going a bit higher, somewhere in the range of 8 to 10 kilowatt-peak for the solar system. That gives enough capacity to charge during the day, run the house at the same time, and still send some excess back to the grid for use later on.

There’s nothing complicated about it. It’s really just about making things work in a practical way.

Energy is changing, and you can already feel it in day to day life. The earlier you start thinking about it, the more options you have.

If you’re curious or just want to understand how it might work for your setup, feel free to message us and we’ll walk you through it.

📞 Globe: 0927 347 8543 | 0917 860 3141 | 0945 349 6113
📞 Smart: 0930 034 9539 | 0963 021 3502 | 0908 377 5577
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.solaric.com.ph