Philippines can be RE leader in Southeast Asia: Greenpeace report
By DJ Yap
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines is
sitting on vast renewable energy potential of more than 250,000 megawatts of
power that can save money, generate jobs and make electricity available and
affordable to more Filipinos, Greenpeace said in a report on Wednesday.
The economy stands to benefit from massive
renewable energy investments and does not need to rely on outdated and
destructive fossil fuels, according to the report titled “Green Is Gold: How
renewable energy can save us money and generate jobs.”
At a press conference in Quezon City,
Greenpeace launched the report, in which the group sought to debunk notions that
renewable energy technology was expensive and not economically viable.
“It will make the cost of electricity more
economical, generate growth for the country while posing fewer risks to the
environment and people, and contribute to energy independence,” said Von
Hernandez, executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia.
Greenpeace said the country’s RE potential
was estimated at 261,000 megawatts, which “remains untapped, with investors now
moving to other markets in the region, having been locked out by coal projects
in the pipeline.”
Anna Abad, the group’s climate and energy
campaigner, pushed for what she called an energy revolution by turning its back
on coal and capitalizing on RE technologies, such as geothermal and solar panel
production.
“This report shows clearly how renewable
energy is the win-win solution for sustained economic growth in the
Philippines,” she said.
Abad said the Department of Energy should
not miss out on the opportunity to realize the full potential of the
five-year-old Renewable Energy Act of 2008.
Hernandez noted how the RE law had been
hailed as a landmark law that was seen to usher in the new era of renewable
energy in the country by generating billions of dollars in investment and
creating new opportunities.
“However, after five years, implementation
has yet to bear the fruits that were envisioned when the law was crafted. We
have yet to see major implementation, which has been hobbled by foot-dragging,
the inability of government agencies to enact corresponding rules and
regulations, and willful sabotage,” he said.
Hernandez blamed what he described as the
“conflicting policy direction being pursued by the DOE and by the Aquino
administration.”
Compared to previous administrations, he
said, it was only now that the government was supporting more than 20 proposals
for coal-fired power plants, “which goes against the spirit and intention of the
RE law.”
“It is unthinkable that we’re investing in
our own suffering,” he said, pointing out the environmental costs of coal and
other conventional fuels.
The Greenpeace report said RE technology
was typically labor-intensive, “which means they spend more on hiring people,
have a higher domestic content than conventional fossil fuel sectors, and
often produce higher-end, better-paying, cleaner, healthier jobs.”
For example, it said, a 10-megawatt solar
plant employs 1,000 people during the construction phase and another 100 people
in permanent full-time jobs.
In terms of revenues, Greenpeace said
geothermal energy, a “mature industry in the Philippines,” had saved the
government more than $7 billion since 1977.
“Other RE technologies suggest more
savings to the economy—or biomass: $96.9 million per year; for hydro: $65.9
million per year; for solar: $8.5 million per year; and for wind: $29.5 million
per year. The report said the Philippines possessed the natural resources that
could propel itself as an RE leader in Southeast Asia.
No comments:
Post a Comment