Philippines can't rely solely on renewable energy to meet domestic demand (Opinion)

Philippines can't rely solely on renewable energy to meet domestic demand
(Opinion)

Like the world's largest and developed economies, the Philippines relies on
different sources for its power supply. Coal, natural gas, geothermal
energy, hydro and oil are used by power plants to produce electricity.
Sunlight and wind are now also used for the electrification of the
countryside. This mix of energy sources provides the country with a stable
power supply that keeps the economy running and Filipino homes lighted.

However, some of these sources of power are not environment-friendly and
even pose many hazards to the public. When burned, they emit harmful
greenhouse gases which are now blamed for global warming or climate change.
On the other hand, both the extraction and use of coal destroy mountains,
forests and rivers-thus affecting the health and livelihood of rural folk
living close to coal-mining sites.

That is why Environment Secretary Gina Lopez wants to stop destructive coal
mining in the country. But it doesn't mean that Lopez will never allow the
use of coal to produce electricity.

Coal plays a vital role in the country's power generation industry. Some 45
percent of our electricity supply in 2015 was sourced from coal-fired power
plants; only a quarter came from geothermal, hydro and renewable energy.
This is according to data from the Department of Energy.

With the low electricity reserves threatening to again plunge parts of Luzon
into hours of darkness, it is not advisable to do away with any of the
energy sources already available to us. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi is
well aware that the country cannot rely solely on renewable energy to meet
the growing domestic demand for electricity. He, therefore, calls for a
"healthy balance" in the mix of energy sources to address both high demand
and reserve requirement.

So it was a good move on Cusi's part to get technical assistance from the US
Agency for International Development (USAID) in determining the optimal
energy mix. The thrust of USAID's "Building Low Emission Alternatives to
Develop Economic Resilience and Sustainability (B-LEADERS)" project with the
DOE is to plan, design and implement low-emission development strategies in
the power sector to attract more investments in clean energy. Cusi's
pragmatic approach would complement a pro-Filipino mining policy, especially
since it is in line with Secretary Lopez's advocacy of renewable energy.

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Ref:
http://opinion.inquirer.net/97173/ph-cant-rely-solely-on-renewable-energy-to
-meet-domestic-demand

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John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com