Citicore Renewable Energy Corp. (CREC) is extending the life of retired solar panels by transforming them into community market infrastructure, linking waste reduction with livelihood opportunities for farmers and small vendors in Tuy, Batangas.
Through its EcoLoop initiative, the Citicore Foundation has turned over the Lumbangan Talipapa, a community wet market featuring repurposed solar panels as roofing materials and stall tables. The project demonstrates how decommissioned renewable energy equipment can serve practical local needs beyond electricity generation.
The market operates under a barangay-managed rotational system, allowing vendors to rent stalls and sell vegetables, fruits, meat, poultry and other agricultural products. Rental income will support maintenance and operating costs, providing a mechanism to help sustain the facility beyond its initial turnover.
The market will also serve as a retail outlet for crops grown through Citicore’s AgroSolar initiative, which integrates agricultural production with solar power generation by cultivating crops between panels at its Batangas Solar project.
“The turnover of the Lumbangan market represents the full circle of our agrivoltaics approach,” said Oliver Tan, president and chief executive of Citicore Renewables.
By connecting AgroSolar harvests directly with a neighborhood retail center, Tan said, the company aims to combine clean energy production, crop cultivation and community economic participation.
Citicore said participating farmers have obtained government Good Agricultural Practices certification, demonstrating compliance with food safety standards and potentially strengthening their access to commercial markets. The company has also supplied agricultural machinery intended to raise productivity, reduce manual labor and help farmers maintain output amid changing weather conditions.
The initiative illustrates a broader opportunity to connect renewable energy development with local economic activity. Reusing retired panels may reduce waste and extend material utility, while the market creates a channel for agricultural goods and small-scale commerce.
Its longer-term impact, however, will depend on consistent vendor participation, effective market management and the safe, appropriate reuse of retired panels. Sustained farm production and reliable demand for local crops will also matter.
For Citicore, the Lumbangan Talipapa offers a practical test of whether circular-economy measures can deliver benefits beyond energy generation and into the communities hosting its projects.
