FORMER US Vice President Al Gore recently visited the newly-completed SM Mall of Asia Solar Carpark. He was welcomed by Leandro Leviste, President of Solar Philippines; Hans Sy, President of SM Prime; Loren Legarda, Senator and UN Global Champion; and Hans Sy Jr., Vice President of SM Engineering Design and Development.

Gore was in Manila for his three-day Climate Reality workshop to educate civic leaders on climate change and its solutions. Gore called on Filipinos to end their dependence on coal, and predicted that the Philippines, due to its abundant sunlight, can become one of the world’s first 100 percent solar-powered economies.

The Solar Carpark inspection was an opportunity to learn about how the Philippines is leading the way in clean energy adoption. He noted the scale of the project, which has made SM MOA the world’s largest solar-powered mall, and used it during his Climate Reality presentation. 

The 2.7 MW MOA Solar Carpark is nearly twice the size of the 1.5 MW SM North Edsa Solar Carpark, making it one of the world’s largest on-site solar projects. Comprised of 10,426 solar panels and 40 inverters, it supplies nearly 20% of the mall’s power needs. Over 30 years, it is expected to offset over 80,000 tons of CO2, equivalent to planting over 400,000 trees. Unlike many solar projects, which displace vast farmlands or forests, the rooftop installation occupies previously unused space and provides a “green roof” to shade parked cars.