Renewables Can Provide 23% of the Philippines’ Energy by 2025
Unlocking the Philippines’ full renewable energy potential can help it meet its growing energy demand, pursue low-carbon development and address climate change, according to IRENA’s new report Renewables Readiness Assessment: Philippines, which identifies key actions for the counry to accelerate renewable energy deployment.
“Like many countries in its region, the Philippines faces a growing population and rising enegy demand to power economic growth. The archipelago is also frequently exposed to tropical storms and natural disasters that affect its energy structure. At the same time, the more than seven- islands hold great renewable energy potential that includes solar, wind, hydro, bioenergy, and geothermal resources. Renewable energy can play a key role in helping the country achieve greater energy security and address these challenges,” said IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin.
“The Philippines has been exploring a variety of options to build an energy independent future supplied by sustainable, stable, secure, sufficient, accessible and reasonably-priced energy sources. In pursuit of this ultimate goal, the Philippines has stepped up its efforts in promoting the deployment of indigenous renewables energy over the past few years,” said Alfonso G. Cusi, the Philippines’ Secretary of Energy.
In 2011 the Philippines set an ambitious renewable energy target of 15.3 gigawatts by 2030 — a near tripling of 2010’s 5,438 megawatts. Additionally, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which the Philippines is a member, set a regional renewable energy target of 23 per cent by 2025.
Renewables Readiness Assessment: Philippines examines the energy sector holistically and puts forward a number of options and concrete measures to accelerate the deployment of of renewables and to strengthen the country’s renewable energy policy, and regulatory and institutional framework. These recommendations include:
- Raising public awareness of renewable energy solutions to ensure sustained political commitment.
- Assessing the country’s grid infrastructure to allow the development of proactive energy planning and training.
- Examining institutional capacity in the Philippine renewable energy sector so as to identify skills and resource deficiencies and enable more effective capacity-building programmes.
- Studying the potential for renewable electrification through mini- and microgrids, and develop policies and regulatory frameworks for attracting investment and private sector engagement.
- Report: “Renewables Readiness Assessment: The Philippines” (pdf)
- Download the assessment here
