ICSC Unveils AI-Powered SPECTRUM Platform to Map Rooftop Solar Systems Nationwide

In a significant move toward accelerating the country’s renewable energy transition, the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) officially launched SPECTRUM, an advanced solar rooftop mapping platform, in a landmark event held yesterday in Quezon City.

Bringing together representatives from government agencies, the private sector, and civil society, the launch event underscored a collective push for clean energy adoption across the Philippines.

Developed in-house by ICSC, SPECTRUM utilizes artificial intelligence, satellite imagery, and open data to identify and map existing rooftop solar installations across 174 cities and municipalities nationwide. The tool offers granular visibility into the country’s solar energy potential and highlights a significant “visibility gap” in unregistered solar systems, especially in the residential and commercial sectors.

Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella described the platform as “revolutionary,” noting its alignment with the Philippine Energy Plan. “This is powered by technology, science, and that inevitable spirit of togetherness,” Fuentebella said. “These tools, when used together, move us faster, with easier actions, and more efficient solutions — mas mabilis, mas madali, at mas mura.”

DOE Assistant Secretary Myolene Capongcol emphasized the urgent need to raise the country’s renewable energy share to 35% by 2030, up from the current 22%. She noted the rooftop solar potential stands at 36.2 GW and stressed the challenge in tracking systems outside the official net metering database. “We requested ICSC to develop a monitoring tool,” Capongcol said, pointing to the need for innovative business models aligned with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act.

According to ICSC Executive Director Angelo Kairos dela Cruz, SPECTRUM is not just a data platform but a catalyst for inclusive innovation. “It enables a full spectrum of solar deployment—from household to utility scale—helping power a just, resilient, and sustainable future,” he said.

Jephraim Manansala, ICSC’s Chief Data Scientist, revealed that the platform has so far detected 1,846 MW of solar capacity, with nearly 25% coming from rooftops in residential and commercial areas. However, he noted discrepancies between detected systems and those formally registered, citing inconsistent permitting processes and a lack of harmonized local government standards.

Ben Hamilton of Meralco echoed this concern during a panel discussion, warning that unregistered installations pose challenges for grid forecasting and capacity planning. “Unregistered systems make it difficult to plan how we can grow the network’s capacity to accommodate everybody,” he said.

SPECTRUM offers an interactive interface where users can explore detected solar installations by region, type, and estimated output. The platform also provides downloadable datasets to support utilities, developers, and regulators—while maintaining household-level privacy.

Underscoring the tool’s broader significance, Undersecretary Fuentebella stressed the role of digital tools like SPECTRUM in advancing energy resilience, particularly in off-grid areas. “This is not just about reducing our reliance on external sources,” he noted, “but about building local energy resilience for a more secure future.”