MANILA, Philippines, July 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — thingnario, a global leader in AI-driven energy management intelligent software, has announced a strategic partnership with Upgrade Energy Philippines, Inc. (UGEP), a top renewable energy developer and EPC contractor in the Philippines. Through this collaboration, thingnario will integrate its cutting-edge AI solar monitoring and advanced Energy Management Systems (EnMS) across UGEP’s ambitious 1 GW solar capacity pipeline targeted for 2028.
![[L TO R: THINGNARIO Benny Lin (Sales Manager); UGEP Brian Abila (Asset Management Supervisor); THINGNARIO Joseph Teng (Sales Director); UGEP Pieterjan Vanbuggenhout (COO); UGEP Ruth Yu-Owen (President and CEO); UGEP Angela Marie Pedragoza (Senior O&M Engineer); UGEP Sharlyn Lopez (Program Manager)]](https://mmx.prnasia.com/media/MS1881573/20260713031646EDT_image_1.jpg?id=OA2759942&p=medium600 "[L TO R: THINGNARIO Benny Lin (Sales Manager); UGEP Brian Abila (Asset Management Supervisor); THINGNARIO Joseph Teng (Sales Director); UGEP Pieterjan Vanbuggenhout (COO); UGEP Ruth Yu-Owen (President and CEO); UGEP Angela Marie Pedragoza (Senior O&M Engineer); UGEP Sharlyn Lopez (Program Manager)]")
[L TO R: THINGNARIO Benny Lin (Sales Manager); UGEP Brian Abila (Asset Management Supervisor); THINGNARIO Joseph Teng (Sales Director); UGEP Pieterjan Vanbuggenhout (COO); UGEP Ruth Yu-Owen (President and CEO); UGEP Angela Marie Pedragoza (Senior O&M Engineer); UGEP Sharlyn Lopez (Program Manager)]
More than a strategic alliance between a leading solar developer and a top-tier monitoring system, this partnership illustrates the shared commitment of both firms to reshaping the Philippine energy landscape. By combining UGEP’s robust infrastructure development with thingnario’s advanced AI intelligence, the two companies are actively driving the nation toward greater power self-sufficiency. Together, they are dedicated to providing commercial and industrial clients with a highly stable, resilient, and cost-effective source of clean energy.
During the official Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony, Joseph Teng, the Sales Director of thingnario, emphasized the strategic importance of agility in today’s energy sector:
“In a volatile market where regulations change and energy supplies remain unstable, a company’s speed of response is its greatest asset. This partnership allows us to stay future-ready, keeping our focus squarely on rapid business growth and clean energy expansion.”
Pieterjan Vanbuggenhout, Chief Operating Officer of Upgrade Energy Philippines, shared this enthusiasm, highlighting how the exclusive technological integration enhances UGEP’s operational capabilities:
“We are very excited to bring our entire pipeline to this collaboration. Through this technology, we have managed to introduce automatic reporting and AI-driven performance evaluations, allowing us to dive much deeper into asset analysis.”
Looking ahead, this collaboration lays a sophisticated digital foundation for UGEP’s next phase of growth. As UGEP expands into utility-scale projects, thingnario’s AI-driven capabilities will ensure optimized asset management and maximum yield for massive, grid-connected arrays. This will also support UGEP’s Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) expansion, allowing for intelligent peak-shaving, load shifting, and enhanced grid stability.
This momentum extends to UGEP’s off-grid projects, where smart monitoring will deliver new reliability and real-time optimization to remote communities and industrial sites. This collaboration serves as a powerful catalyst for carbon reduction, advancing ESG goals, and fostering a sustainable, net-zero future for the entire region.
Maximizing Asset Efficiency with thingnario PHOTON AI Monitoring
To address the Philippines’ weak-grid constraints, the partnership will deploy thingnario’s flagship PHOTON platform, centralizing UGEP’s portfolio into a single dashboard with 1-minute real-time data granularity. The platform leverages AI Smart Event detection to catch operational issues before downtime occurs, while streamlining daily workflows with automated curtailment analysis, billing, and reporting.
thingnario Power-up Solution for multiple tapping points and zero-export structure
Specifically tailored for the Philippine C&I sector, PHOTON easily manages complex plant architectures, including multiple tapping points and zero-export structures. By enabling low-voltage CT-only setups, it significantly lowers construction costs, minimizes curtailment losses, and maximizes PV generation, while also replacing the high-cost, high-risk CT+PT medium/high-voltage equipment and architecture. It provides a reliable data foundation that paves a seamless path for future Energy Management System (EnMS) expansion.
thingnario enters this partnership with a heavily verified operational pedigree. Globally, the company’s AI software manages over 5.5 GW of solar assets with more than 11,000 sites. In the Philippines alone, thingnario has already established a dominant market footprint, managing 200+ MW in the Commercial & Industrial (C&I) solar sector and 100+ MW in the Utility-scale solar sector.
