THE Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded 868 renewable-energy (RE) contracts in 2017, nine years after the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 was enacted.
Based on the DOE data released on Thursday, the energy department said these contracts have a potential generation capacity of 23,700.69 megawatts, against a total installed capacity of 4,751.59 MW.
Of the 868 RE projects awarded by the government, 444 are hydropower; solar, 216; wind, 64; biomass, 55; geothermal, 41; and seven for ocean energy,
On top of these, there were 41 RE contracts awarded for self-generation of electricity. These include one for wind, 16 for solar and 24 for biomass.
The same DOE data also showed that there are 206 pending RE projects, of which, 93 are hydro; solar, 83; wind, 16; biomass, 10; and geothermal, four.
The potential generation capacity of these pending RE projects could reach 3,912.66 MW.
Congress enacted Republic Act 9513, or the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels and minimize the Philippines’s exposure to price fluctuations in the international market.
Fluctuations in oil prices adversely impact almost all sectors of the country’s economy.
The DOE’s National Renewable Energy Program seeks to increase the RE-based capacity of the country to an estimated 15,304 MW by 2030, and to at least 20,000 MW by 2040, almost quadruple its 2010 level.
“The DOE maintains a technology-neutral stance, and recognizes and acknowledges the objectives of the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, which aims to achieve energy self-reliance. This is done through the adoption of sustainable energy development strategies that reduces the country’s dependence on nonindigenous energy resources, which in effect minimizes the country’s exposure to volatility of prices in the international markets,” said DOE Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella.
As part of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Philippines is committed to reduce energy emissions by 70 percent by 2030. This has brought a renewed thrust to develop the nation’s RE sector.
He, likewise, cited the proposed Green Energy Option Program (GEOP) as a vehicle to empower Filipino consumers by giving them access to RE sources.
Under the GEOP, electricity consumers with a monthly average peak demand of 100 kilowatt and above, for the past 12 months may opt to participate in the GEOP.
The program is voluntary. As such, consumers may opt to not avail themselves of the GEOP, participate in the GEOP through its distribution utility, or directly contract with a supplier of RE.