August 24, 2026
Last August 11, The Climate Reality Project Philippines, in partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE), held the final leg of Choosing Renewables: Information Campaign on the Green Energy Option Program and Other Voluntary Renewable Energy Mechanisms, at Butuan City, Agusan del Norte.
“Renewables give us a way to diversify where our energy comes from, reduce our exposure to volatile fossil fuel prices, and at the same time reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity generation,” said Giancarlo Pocholo Enriquez, Energy Program Lead at Climate Reality Philippines.The event was made possible by support from agencies such as the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP).
The event was made possible by support from agencies such as the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP).
“The purpose of Choosing Renewables is quite simple— we want to make choosing renewable energy more understandable, more accessible, and ultimately more actionable. We want businesses and other electricity consumers to understand the options available to them, the benefits they can realize, and the steps that they can take,” added Enriquez.
This marks the 8th installment of the forum, which was first launched in 2024 to promote the Green Energy Option Program (GEOP) as a mechanism for the transition to renewables. Catering to a wide range of end users, GEOP promises a 100% renewable power source at no upfront cost.
“LGUs play a very important role in accelerating the development of renewable energy. The national government cannot do it alone— we need all hands on deck, po. Sama-sama po tayong lahat because this is a shared responsibility between the national government, the LGUs, the stakeholders, and all the RE developers, as well as the consumers,” said Liza V. Pangilinan, Division Chief at the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Board- Technical Services Management Division (NREB-TSMD).
Since 2024, Climate Reality Philippines and the DOE have taken Choosing Renewables to many cities, inviting a wide range of stakeholders to learn about how to shift to renewable energy (RE) via existing government-led mechanisms.
During that time, GEOP customers have steadily increased, peaking at 1000 just this year. A huge chunk of these users are private businesses that pursued RE investments to cut costs on power expenses and adhere to sustainability standards.
Lately, however, more and more government offices have also taken an interest in RE. Examples of these are local government units (LGUs), whose clean energy goals align with the private sector as well— cost savings and sustainability.
Driven also by global oil price fluctuations and geopolitical tensions, LGUs and national government agencies (NGAs) look to RE for energy security. This is especially true for a lot of communities in Mindanao, whose access to electricity remains unstable.
“I think it’s important to begin today’s conversation by acknowledging the energy situation we find ourselves in. The conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran has had consequences far beyond the Middle East. Despite being hundreds of kilometers away, we have seen how geopolitical tensions can quickly translate into higher global fuel prices and ultimately put pressure on electricity prices here in the Philippines,” said Enriquez.
During the forum, issues of climate mitigation were also raised; shifting to clean energy is one of the many solutions pegged to reduce carbon emissions and slow down global warming. LGUs and NGAs alike recognize how lowering their emissions by utilizing renewables contributes to the country’s wider climate action and sustainable development goals.
Invited to speak about their experience investing in RE were the LGUs of Makati City and Butuan City, whose journey served as inspiration for attendees to also consider renewables.
“In March 2026, Makati City achieved a milestone as the first LGU in the Philippines to use 100% renewable energy. We were guided by the Local Energy Code and the Proposed Local Energy Efficiency and Conservation Plan and Solar Energy System Ordinance sa Makati City,” said Engr. Ma. Clarissa Tuazon, Assistant City Engineer at the City Government of Makati.
At the moment, renewables account only for 25% of the Philippines’ energy generation mix. Despite the clamor of many sectors and communities for the country as a whole to be powered mainly by RE, current infrastructure is still struggling to meet rising demand.
“To support those targets, marami namang naka linyang policies under the Renewable Energy Act, katandem nyan is yung ibang incentives ng ibang program. [There is the] possible expansion of the RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standards) to include legacy [geothermal] power plants,” said Gian Karla Gutierrez, Head of Industry Research and Advocacy at First Gen Corporation.
Recent GEOP amendments such as volume matching and flexibility on replacement power has allowed RE suppliers to accommodate more customers.
Meanwhile, other amendments have focused on expanding GEOP’s market base. For example, GEOP regulations require a peak demand of 50kW to be eligible for GEOP; this is down from its initial threshold requirement of 100kW. Lowering the initial requirement was part of this year’s GEOP amendments, which were passed in response to calls for expanding the program’s accessibility and streamlining its processes.
These GEOP amendments also include retail aggregation, which now lets smaller end-users pool their power demand to reach the 50kW requirement. This opens the doors for smaller entities to access RE through GEOP— this includes households within subdivisions and businesses in economic zones.
“Since we see na mayroon pong trend na pag binaba ‘yung threshold, talagang dadami ‘yung dadating sa amin— we are preparing for the influx of or ‘yung pagdami ng magsiswitch sa amin. So we need to ensure that our systems are ready, our people are ready to accommodate everyone that wishes to participate in the Green Energy Option Program,” said Atty. Lilibeth Grace Vetus-Magtalas, Senior Legal Manager at IEMOP.
On top of these GEOP amendments, the national government, through implementing bodies like the DOE and ERC, also has a range of voluntary RE mechanisms that can streamline the RE transition for Filipinos— even to the household level.
Programs like the Net-Metering Program, the Expanded Roof-Mounted Solar Program, and the Distributed Energy Resources Program are prime examples of these mechanisms. These were also presented during the forum to give participants more RE options to learn about and choose from.
“We just need to look at how these policies impact the customers […] we would push for RE but we need to make it affordable. There are already mature RE technologies that can actually ensure na i-adopt natin. In that sense, mas natatranslate s’ya sa mas murang presyo sa consumers, ‘di ba?” said Atty. Chiara Angela LB. Blanco, Chief Energy Regulation Officer – Contestable Market Division at the ERC.
Part of its mandate is to make RE accessible to a wide range of Filipinos; government agencies like the DOE and ERC strengthen its partnerships with civil society organizations like Climate Reality Philippines. Through information and education campaigns like Choosing Renewables, both the government and civil society bring RE closer to establishments and communities that would benefit the most out of clean power.
Choosing Renewables, both the government and civil society bring RE closer to establishments and communities that would benefit the most out of clean power.
“Your presence today reflects not only your interest in renewable energy but also your commitment to taking part in the country’s clean energy transition. This activity gave our stakeholders a deeper appreciation of how renewable energy programs can be assessed and applied in practical, real-world settings,” added Pangilinan.
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