Manila, Philippines – Keith Cantera and his family had been considering rooftop solar panels for years. The upfront cost of up to $5,000 kept them from committing. That changed in 2025.
When the United States-Israel war on Iran rattled global energy markets in late February, electricity prices in the Philippines surged. Cantera's monthly bill climbed from around $150 to as much as $220. Eight months later, solar panels are being installed on his rooftop.
"The cost is about the same as paying our electric bills for three or four years based on the current rate," Cantera said. "But in the fifth year, we'll have recovered our investment, and electricity will essentially be free."
Cantera is one of a growing number of Filipino homeowners turning to solar power in a country that already had the highest electricity costs in Southeast Asia before the war. Those costs were comparable only to Singapore, where the average income is more than ten times higher.
According to a report by energy think tank Ember, rooftop solar installations in the Philippines had nearly doubled since early 2025.
In the first months of the war, from March to May, the rush for solar power drove $407 million in panel imports, according to government trade data from China, where most panels are manufactured. The Philippines became the single largest overseas market for Chinese solar panels during that period, surpassed only by the Netherlands, which redistributes panels across Europe.
Lexus Grepo, CEO of solar power supplier Solarmaxx, said demand has been overwhelming.
"There is a 30-day wait because solar panel shipments can't keep up," Grepo said. "In March, we had 40 projects, which was almost triple our monthly clientele. Since then, we have been setting up 25 to 30 systems a month."
Grepo does not expect demand to slow even if tensions in the Middle East ease and energy shipping routes reopen.
"I think people now realise that the world is an unpredictable place, so they have to be ready for any eventuality. Filipinos now see that they don't necessarily have to be at the mercy of the global energy market."
The Philippines is one of the few countries in the region where electricity is not subsidised. It relies on imported coal and gas for more than 70 percent of its power mix. The peso has slid to a record low of more than 63 to the US dollar, making those imports even more expensive.
In late March, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr declared a national energy emergency, citing the war and what he described as the "imminent danger" posed to the national energy supply. Electricity rates have continued to rise regardless.
The shift to solar is also driven in part by public anger at electric companies, which have come under scrutiny for charging customers for so-called system losses, including losses attributed to illegal connections.
For Cantera, learning that he was being billed for electricity he did not consume was the final push.
"Who would agree to paying for something that you did not use? It's not like the money we spend for electricity just fell from heaven," he said.
Despite surging demand, the upfront cost of a solar system remains out of reach for most Filipinos. The government launched a loan initiative in March for residential rooftop installations, but it is available only to public sector workers.
Officials are pinning broader hopes on a pipeline of large-scale renewable energy projects. Among them is a 3,500-hectare solar farm north of Manila, projected to be the largest in the world when completed. The facility is expected to generate 850 megawatts of electricity, enough to supply 2.4 million households.
Many consumers, however, say such projects could take years to materialise, leaving ordinary households to manage rising bills on their own in the meantime.
"It's just so unpredictable nowadays. You have the impending El Nino weather pattern. There's still war, the continuing fuel price hikes and so much more," Cantera said. "So why not utilise a natural resource?"
