Renewable Energy To Help Fill Power Gaps

Renewable Energy To Help Fill Power Gaps

Filed Under: Alternative energy

MANILA, Philippines - Tapping renewable energy resources is expected to help the government achieve its target of 100 percent barangay electrification within the year, according to Energy Secretary Angelo T. Reyes.

The Department of Energy, through the National Electrification Administration (NEA), aims to provide steady supply of power to all outlying communities by end-2009.

Of the 97,290 sitios nationwide, the government would need to provide power to 30,033 barangay units to achieve 100 percent electrification. The NEA and various electric cooperatives have already provided power to 67,257 communities.

The Renewable Energy Law and its Implementing Rules and Regulations will not only provide us with the means to energize off-grid areas, it will also allow us to inject necessary investments to keep the economy afloat, Reyes said.

The energy chief noted that utilization of renewable energy to electrify the remaining unsupplied areas served various purposes.

“First, we will be able to actually realize savings in the use of imported petroleum or coal for power generation; we won’t have to wait for power lines to come our way; and lastly, RE utilization will help us in saving the environment,” he said.

Among the challenges the NEA had to face in its electrification efforts were the “commercial viability of reaching off-grid areas or conflict-ridden areas; the operational viability of extending distribution utilities’ lines; concerns regarding the release of funds; and finally, the capacity development necessary to ensure that electric cooperatives implement their projects in a timely manner,” Reyes said.

He further urged companies to take part in this electrification effort, through more investments in the renewable energy sector.

“A rough summation of estimates places the renewable energy potential of the Philippines at an astounding 200,000 megawatts of electricity,” he said


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What a good news for an alternative energy in the philippines. A new source of Renewable energy in the Philippines in the future.