Increasing the renewable energy share in the Philippine power mix to 35% by 2030 and 50% by 2050 would require policymakers to amend the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, revisit the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), and reinforce the implementation of Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act.
A new White Paper prepared by the Clean Energy Investment Accelerator or CEIA, an international initiative, shows that one payment scheme under the Green Energy Program (GEOP) offers a fixed discount from the monthly rate offered by the local distribution utilities, with the discounted rates potentially reaching 5 to 12 percent lower than the prevailing generation rate. It also underscores the slow uptake among energy consumers within the first 8 months of the GEOP’s implementation. Factors contributing to the lack of participation include limited awareness among potential buyers and inability for businesses who lease their facilities to engage directly with retail electricity suppliers.
This month in #RealiTalk, we discussed the role of renewable energy in electrifying off-grid areas and small islands in the Philippines with Pinoy Climate Reality Leader Gabriel Silan.
Renewable energy systems tailored fit per locality are the best solution to rising fossil fuel prices and energy poverty across the Philippines. This was highlighted by Cebu-based clean energy advocate Jovie Gil Montajes during the third episode of Klima Ug Kalikupan, a joint webcast series by Cebu Technological University (CTU) and The Climate Reality Project Philippines.
Availing the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Green Energy Option Program (GEOP) will bring significant savings on the electricity costs of business enterprises, a representative of Vita Tropic Ice Company, Inc. said during The Climate Reality Project Philippines’ energy literacy and movement-building training session held earlier this month.
Vita Tropic is among the few and first GEOP switchers in the country. The GEOP is a new mechanism implemented by the DOE that allows electricity end-users with an average 100kW or above to source their electricity from renewable energy sources.
Both the outgoing and incoming administrations seem to be keen on nuclear energy, but questions remain: “Can it really lower electricity costs in the country and is it really worth investing our resources into given the falling costs of renewable energy?”PInoy Climate Reality Leader Ian Soqueño answered these questions in our column Eleventh Hour this week.
