Millions of households across the country still slip into darkness each night, many of them in remote, mountainous or island communities where building energy infrastructure is difficult and costly. But where water flows, light may soon follow.
It is in these places where Saltric plans to deploy its Marissa Turbine, a hydrokinetic technology protected both as a utility model and industrial design, as well as a registered trademark.
“My vision is to establish the Philippines as a leader in ocean renewable power,” Saltric Founder and inventor Patrick De Guzman said.
After over a decade of development, five design iterations and hundreds of thousands of pesos invested in research and development, the startup moves a step closer to that goal in 2026, with plans to transition from community-level pilot tests to region-wide commercial use.
De Guzman has been featured in the first issue of Vogue Man and named a finalist at the Global Student Entrepreneurs Awards in Cape Town, South Africa. His startup placed among the top three at the Shell LiveWIRE Philippines 2024 and received the Dragon Star Award that same year, only showing the public’s rising interest in technologies that could play a key role in the country’s transition to renewable energy.
The future of water energy
Influenced by local water-based energy innovations, Saltric’s Marissa Turbine generates electricity directly from flowing water. With a corrosion-resistant frame made of steel and foundations built to withstand strong currents and typhoons, the present model could be anchored to a riverbed. Its blade design is 3D printed from strips of single-use plastic bottles to minimize harm to aquatic life. As long as the current flows, it operates continuously and could generate 500 watts of electricity.
De Guzman sees hydrokinetic turbines as a way to expand the country’s renewable energy base, aligning with the Department of Energy’s 2040 goal of achieving a 50/50 energy mix between renewable and conventional sources, with hydropower identified as a key component.
As an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, the Philippines is crisscrossed by thousands of rivers. Mapping studies by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have identified 252 sites in select areas of the country suitable for small-scale hydroelectric power projects.
“We are an archipelago,” De Guzman said. “But why haven’t we developed our own technology to harness water for power?” While hydropower dams already exist, his startup focuses on how moving water can flow further into communities without the social and environmental impacts associated with conventional dams.
If adopted to scale, the technology could also help ease the country’s dependence on imported fuel, which leaves power prices exposed to global fuel volatility, foreign exchange risk and geopolitical disruption.
Testing the waters
(Left) A Marissa Turbine before being tested in the Meycauayan River in Bulacan. (Right) The Saltric team is setting up the turbine in the Angat River for a second test run.
The technology’s first pilot run along the Meycauayan River in Obando, Bulacan, made possible through a partnership with SM Cares and the Global Peace Foundation, has shown favorable results. Local fishers
quickly saw its value in providing lighting for night fishing and powering refrigeration for ice storage for when bringing their catch to market.
A second prototype was later installed in the Angat River, with funding from the Department of Science and Technology and technical support from the University of the Philippines–Los Baños. The system successfully powered two households, enabling the use of laptops, mobile phones and electric fans from electricity generated solely from river flow.
Building on these results, Saltric has begun advancing proposals in cities pursuing smart city development. One is in Catbalogan City, Samar, where strong currents converge near bridges linking the mainland to other islands. Aligned with the city’s smart city agenda, where energy sustainability is a core priority, the proposal envisions turbines powering street lighting as a pilot and potential model for wider adoption.
From rivers to oceans
Aside from technical feasibility, Saltric offers its Marissa Turbine at competitive rates at PHp 150,000 per unit. This year, Saltric is moving to scale, with plans to deploy 180 units in Northern Luzon and reach a total
installed capacity of 500 kilowatts over the next five years. The company is also expanding its product line, with ongoing work on turbine models tailored for hotel and resort operators as well as agricultural applications.
However, the deployment of energy technologies also largely depends on permitting processes, tariff structures, grid integration rules and investment incentives. Recognizing these challenges, De Guzman is pursuing law studies to learn more on energy regulations.
“The technology is already there. All of it now comes down to policy. That’s why I’m studying law. As an entrepreneur, you really have to understand what you’re doing,” he says.
Looking ahead, the company aims to develop fully submersible turbines to be anchored deep in the ocean floor and power cities at scale. It is a long-term vision the startup is constantly reminded of through its registered trademark. The name Saltric reflects its intent to harness energy from the movement of saltwater in larger bodies of water.
IP as a ‘current’ for change
Intellectual property (IP) protection was not an early priority in Saltric’s development. De Guzman admitted initially hesitating to pursue patents, influenced by a common fear among first-time inventors, that making ideas public would only invite theft.
That view shifted after Saltric presented its work to a potential investor, where an engineer reframed patents as professional credentials. “He told me, ‘You have to patent this. It is your portfolio as an inventor,’” De Guzman recalled.
The founder soon realized more benefits in patenting for the wider society. “Protection also allows you to share the technology with the world without losing it. This is how innovation happens because it doesn’t start with one person,” he said. “You need patents so others can build on the work. Beyond the 20-year protection term, what remains is the growth of knowledge, the body of science.”
(Left) De Guzman delivers his pitch at the 2025 SRT contest held in the University of Makati. (Right) At the IPOPHL Library, Documentation, Information and Technology Transfer Bureau Director Ralph Jarvis Alindogan and Assistant Director Chamlette Garcia hand De Guzman his award at the SRT contest.
De Guzman said institutional support helped make IP accessible. Through the Ateneo Intellectual Property Office, a member of the Innovation and Technology Support Office Program of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), De Guzman’s journey was made easy from patent drafting to application. Meanwhile, the DOST’s Technology Application and Promotion Institute has also supported Saltric by covering its UM and ID application fees.
De Guzman also cited IPOPHL’s Youth IP Incentive Program (YIPI), as an example of how targeted assistance can lower barriers for early-stage innovators. “Programs like YIPI make a big difference,” he said, himself a YIPI beneficiary. “They reduce costs and speed up the process,” noting his trademark registration under the program only took two months.
His interest in IP carried through in December 2025 when Saltric earned the top award in the professional category at the Socially Relevant Technologies competition, IPOPHL’s annual contest to recognize and promote technologies that solve pressing social and environmental issues.
As an aspiring lawyer, De Guzman also hopes to practice IP law and help protect Filipino inventions towards market readiness. He believes, that much like how water could carry energy for off-grid remote communities, IP can serve as a current of its own, moving homegrown innovations to power communities with light and lasting impact.
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