The Philippine Star

ADB, Buskowitz Solar ink $12-M loan for roo op panels

- By LOUELLA DESIDERIO

The Asian Developmen­t Bank (ADB) has signed a $12 million (P675 million) loan agreement with Buskowitz Solar Inc. for the installati­on of solar panel systems in commercial and industrial buildings’ rooftops in the Philippine­s.

In a statement, the multilater­al lender said the deal signed with Buskowitz Solar, a subsidiary of Buskowitz Energy Inc., would be used to support the developmen­t, constructi­on and operation of multiple solar panel systems on the rooftops of commercial and industrial buildings in several provinces in the Philippine­s.

The ADB said the $12 million loan would be sourced from its ordinary capital resources.

Also part of the financing package is a $24 million parallel loan from the Philippine National Bank.

The ADB said it led the financial structurin­g for the project, which will generate 88 gigawatt-hours of clean electricit­y annually and reduce 54,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.

Under the project, a total of 70 megawatts of solar power generation capacity will be installed in the provinces of Bacolod, Bulacan, Laguna, Misamis Oriental, Pampanga, Pangasinan and Zamboanga.

“As Asia and the Pacific accounts for more than half of global emissions, it’s imperative to scale up access to reliable and sustainabl­e clean energy in this region. Rooftop solar energy provides an efficient way to deliver clean power directly to consumers, potentiall­y reducing costs as well as avoiding transmissi­on losses,Ó ADB director general for private sector operations Suzanne Gaboury said.

Through the ADB’s involvemen­t in the project, she said the multilater­al lender would like to encourage more investment­s in solar projects.

Buskowitz Energy CEO James Buskowitz said the company aims to transform solar energy access and generation through sustainabl­e and cost-effective rooftop solar solutions for both residents and businesses.

ÒOur specializa­tion is in focusing on underutili­zed spaces, which helps our clients create significan­t positive environmen­tal impact while providing them substantia­l energy savings. We are proud to have the trust and partnershi­p of ADB and PNB, which allows us to expand our reach to more small and medium-sized enterprise­s and industry leaders, helping them and the Philippine­s to achieve netzero targets,Ó he said.

Buskowitz Energy, a pioneer of rooftop solar, provides integrated solar photovolta­ic services, including engineerin­g, procuremen­t, constructi­on, consultati­on, custom design and evaluation, financing, as well as operations and maintenanc­e.

In addition, the company facilitate­s easier and cost-effective access to solar power by offering solar power purchase agreements, leases and loans.

More than 300 projects have been successful­ly installed and commission­ed by the company for hotels, schools, universiti­es, cold storage facilities, gas stations, manufactur­ing plants, hospitals, warehouses­and other facilities.

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