Philippines “All Set for Record RE Growth”

“The Philippines is all set for record renewable energy growth,” Greenpeace* said today at the launch of their new energy report which forecasts how RE can power more than 50% of the country’s energy needs as early as 2020. The “Philippine Energy [R]evolution Roadmap to 2020” outlines how, with intelligent planning, the current administration can steer the country towards development powered by sustainable energy.

“Greenpeace is presenting a practical blueprint on how the Philippines can dramatically increase current RE growth while providing a secure and affordable energy supply and stimulating economic development. The Philippines is a leader in RE development, and has a solid RE Law. This roadmap shows that increasing RE generation share to at least 50% by 2020 is entirely achievable – there is no reason for the government to fall short of this target, and they can even, if willing, aim higher,” said Amalie Obusan, Climate and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

“To make this happen the government must put their words into action. President Benigno Aquino III should immediately clear the remaining barriers that constrain maximum RE deployment and secure and maintain optimal conditions for RE development starting now,” she added.

Greenpeace is advocating an Energy Revolution, a change in the way that energy is produced, distributed and used, so that countries can respond to the most pressing energy challenges, such as climate change and energy security, which the world currently faces. The Energy Revolution involves the massive uptake of RE, the comprehensive use of Energy Efficiency (EE) measures in household and industry, and the transformation of the energy grid to allow for more flexible distribution of energy.

Essential reforms are necessary in the Philippine energy sector to make this change possible. Greenpeace is calling on the Philippine government to:

· Prioritize comprehensive mapping of the country’s vast renewable energy resources;

· Scrap all new proposals for coal-fired and nuclear power plants and shift those investments to the development of the renewable energy sector and energy efficiency measures;

· Prioritize grid infrastructure development and reinforcement to ensure the massive uptake of renewable energy technologies;

· Set stringent efficiency and emissions standards for appliances, buildings, power plants and vehicles;

· Review and assess economic growth projections to determine realistic power demand and supply requirements from a local level; and

· Increase investments for additional technology, research and development of forecasting capability specifically for variable sources of power like solar and wind.

The Greenpeace Roadmap, developed with the University of the Philippines College of Engineering – Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute, is a compact document that highlights the benefits of, and the steps needed in, dramatically boosting RE development in the country.

It identifies key milestones from 2011 until 2020 of what policies and support must be in place to ensure that renewable energy development is on track to achieve the minimum 50% target; and goes as far as showing pending and proposed projects per region that should be in place in the next several years. It further aims to guide government units and RE stakeholders in looking at RE opportunities in the archipelago, so that government and investors “think RE first” and drop plans for harmful and unnecessary power sources such as coal and nuclear.

“Renewable energy is the energy that will power the future—it has a central role to play in achieving sustainable development. The Greenpeace Roadmap shows that renewable energy is not a dream for the future—it is real and can be achieved now. We’ve outlined the steps to show how we can reach this vision. The government holds the next move,” said Obusan.

The Philippine Energy [R]evolution Roadmap to 2020 is available for download at www.greenpeace.org.ph/2020roadmap.

*Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace.