THE Embassy of Norway in Manila said on Tuesday that the residence of Ambassador Bjorn Jahnsen has gone “green” with the installation of a 16-kilowatt peak solar-powered system, making it the first solar-powered diplomatic residence in the country.
“The Norwegian Embassy in Manila aims to push for the ‘green’ agenda,” said Jahnsen, as he added that this is part of his country’s promotion of green-energy solutions. “If we are going to reach the goals of the Paris Agenda on climate change, we have to switch to renewable-energy sources.”
In the Philippines, Norway has an established portfolio in the renewable-energy sector, operating four hydropower plants in Luzon (Magat, Binga, Ambuklao and Maris) through a joint venture between state-owned Norwegian company SN Power and Aboitiz Power Group.
“The Philippines, like Norway, has great capacity to harness its natural resources and convert them into energy,” the ambassador noted.
As such, more renewable energy undertakings are being planned for the country. “This solar-panel installation is just the first project in this transformation,” Jahnsen further stated.
Among those in the pipeline may possibly include e-vehicles and projects related to ocean sustainability.
Norway is also leading the world’s switch to electric cars. Almost half of automobiles sold in Norway in 2018 are electric or plug-in hybrid models. It also paves the way for the sustainable ocean panels.
Around 99 percent of the power in Norway comes from renewable energy, mostly hydroelectric resources. It is the world’s sixth-largest hydropower producer, and has the highest share of electricity produced from renewable sources in Europe.
It is also developing more renewable-power sources harnessed from wind.