Story perspectives

Meralco 10% Rate Hike Sparks Philippines Solar Boom

6/29/2026

Summary

Story summary

Meralco’s 10% rate hike since late February pushed median households to spend about 12% of monthly income on electricity, prompting a rooftop-solar rush.
The surge makes the Philippines the world’s largest solar-panel spender since the Iran war began.
Solar-panel imports rose to $407 million in the three months through May—a 145% jump—while loan payback times fell to 3.1 years from 4, allowing capacity to potentially triple to 3,500 MW within two years.

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Story summary

Meralco’s 10% rate hike since late February pushed median households to spend about 12% of monthly income on electricity, prompting a rooftop-solar rush.
The surge makes the Philippines the world’s largest solar-panel spender since the Iran war began.
Solar-panel imports rose to $407 million in the three months through May—a 145% jump—while loan payback times fell to 3.1 years from 4, allowing capacity to potentially triple to 3,500 MW within two years.