Glenn Tong, managing director of Green Heat Corp., is in the renewable energy sector for the long haul and is ready to stake his name and reputation to assure his clients and partners that the work that his family corporation does will have the support that it needs throughout the years.
“We started about 16 or 17 years ago to get into this renewable sector because it was something that we thought was important for the future, and we thought that it was the technology that we had the opportunity to do...so we made a decision as a group that this is something we wanted to invest in and focus on for the long term. So we put together a team, we properly trained them, and then we got into this with the intention of being a serious player for the long term,” he explains.
Green Heat was thus founded in 2010 as an energy solutions provider for solar photovoltaic (PV) installations for large-scale businesses, and in 2015, sister company Green Dot was established as its residential arm to cater to the smaller sized installations.
The demand for solar PV rooftop installations has surged, driven by a need for energy independence, cost savings, and growing environmental concerns.
In a press briefing last week, Tong and his team revealed that their pipeline for the next 18 months involves the completion of nearly P2 billion worth of rooftop solar PV installations for big clients that include the SM Group, Landers Superstores, Wilcon Depot and a few others who prefer not to be disclosed.
Since 2020, Green Heat has installed over 45 systems producing a total of 17,791.92 kWp, while Green Dot has similarly completed 45 installations for residences across the country.
Green Heat and Green Dot have made solar PV solutions more accessible and affordable to both businesses and households.
Green Heat was also the first to offer power purchase agreements in the Philippines. It is now also offering financing options via tie-ups with several major banks like BDO, BPI, and Security Bank.
Both companies have also introduced new operations, maintenance and quality assurance services to maximize system efficiency. Likewise, they also provide repair and refurbishing services for other solar PV rooftops that have been left unfinished or malfunctioning.
They have also ventured into hybrid systems and floating PV systems and are exploring the use of non-arable land for solar PV farms, as well as solar charging stations for e-vehicles.
However, the renewable energy company did not initially start out in the energy sector, far from it, in fact. In reality, the company that is now Green Heat was started in 1949 by Glenn’s maternal grandfather as a marine equipment supplier operating a store in Binondo.
It was a series of problem-solving and dependability as a supplier willing to provide solutions that led Glenn’s grandfather through the decades to evolve to related endeavors from aquaculture and shipbuilding to marine conservation through the Bantay Dagat project funded by the World Bank, and then to rural electrification and solar renewable energy.
The key to Green Heat’s evolution, Glenn sums up, “It’s because we kept on growing with the needs of the customers.”
Add to that brew the recruitment of passionate and skilled people who are trained from the ground up, physically hauling their solar equipment through rivers, valleys, ravines and mountainous terrain.
According to Glenn, “There’s passion also. A lot of our employees actually turned down higher-paying jobs because they were very passionate about it...I was so impressed with all of them. Some of them have become my mentors. I know they have given up better opportunities to stay with us... and so I consider them my family also.”
Glenn confidently assures, “So, when you engage Green Heat, what I can say is that you’ll be getting the best price, you’ll be getting one of the most established solar partners in the Philippines. You will be working with a very robust team that has years and decades of experience. Our general manager alone has 34 years of experience at this point.”
He stressed, “We are here to do it right. We are here to do it right the first time, and even if something goes wrong, we have proven to our clients time and time again that we will go and work with you on the solution to make it ready.”
Glenn added that “as of today, 100 percent of all reading systems are operated. There are no abandoned systems, no non-performing systems. That is our pledge to our partners, to our clients, and that is something that, you know, we don’t look at it just as an investment... we really want to give a solution and a service to the Filipino people.”
Green Heat, Glenn is proud to admit, is at the top of its game. “There are competitors. I think, for quality, we’re definitely, arguably, number one, and in terms of size, we’re definitely one of the most dependable and have the biggest footprint and are very consistent in our operations.”
He adds, “We want to make it a sustainable business for the next generation. We started in 1949... of course, you’re only as good as your last year also, so I want to run things professionally. We want to be someone that international parties can work with.”
Glenn is also guided by his paternal grandfather’s advice, who told Glenn that he has nothing to pass on to the next generation, except his name.
“So it’s really about track record. All of the things we’ve done are always about doing the right job. It’s always professionally done... and we want to retain that reputation.”
Glenn vows, “My name on the contract is my bond to the customer that in many years, if you’ve retired, and it’s your kids, I will still help them. I will still be there.”