On May 16, U.S. Ambassador MaryKay Carlson led the turnover of three mobile energy systems (MES) donated by the U.S. government to provide electricity to remote communities in Palawan. The ceremony took place at the National Power Corporation (NPC) Irawan Switching Station in Puerto Princesa City.
Philippine Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Raphael Lotilla, NPC President Fernando Roxas, USAID Philippines Mission Director Ryan Washburn, and DOE Undersecretary Giovani Bacordo joined Ambassador Carlson at the event.
Ambassador Carlson emphasized the importance of these systems: “The MES are not just equipment. They are essential tools of resilience and innovation that have been proven to provide power to some of the most remote locations in the country.” She thanked various partners for their collaboration in ensuring electricity access for all Filipinos.
Kaiser Marcelino from USAID's Energy Secure Philippines project detailed the MES units' features, highlighting their grid-forming inverters. These units will be integrated into microgrids managed by NPC, providing power to disaster-prone areas.
Each MES unit includes solar panels generating 9.18 kW and a battery capacity up to 70 kilowatt-hours, sufficient for ten households daily or supporting a disaster response team for a week with necessary electronic devices.
This donation is part of ongoing support from the United States under USAID’s Energy Secure Philippines program. Previously, one MES was given to DOE’s Emergency Operations Center in Manila and two others to municipalities in Cagayan.
Four additional MES units are scheduled for deployment later this year. Ambassador Carlson noted past successes: “Since launching the first MES unit last year, we have witnessed the MES units’ potential in action—from powering the DOE Emergency Operations Center during a blackout to enabling real-time government services in typhoon-hit areas of Cagayan.”