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TUESDAY, 19 APRIL 2011 19:57 PAUL ANTHONY A. ISLA / REPORTER
LOCAL renewable energy developers continue to press their appeal to the National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) to increase the limit set on installed generating capacity from renewable energy sources.
The local hydro, solar and wind power developers anchored their appeal to the continuous increase in world and local oil prices and threats of another power shortage in Mindanao this summer.
Peregrino Fernandez, a member of the Renewable Energy Developers’ Caucus, raised serious concern on increasing oil prices that is also expected to influence power rates to increase.
Fernandez pointed out that coal and natural gas prices are indexed to oil. “The rising cost of fossil fuel must be addressed by new paradigms and framework. Unless carbon-free solution is introduced to our energy situation, we are merely applying a ‘Band-aid solution’ to our dependency on fossil fuels,” Fernandez, who heads Montalban Methane Power Corp. said.
Ramon Abaya, Cagayan Electric Power and Light Co. chairman, emphasized on the importance of putting up renewable-energy projects in Mindanao because the region does not have enough power supply or adequate reserves.
“Government must look at an aggressive RE [Renewable Energy] option to address the Mindanao brownouts fast,” Abaya said.
Tetchie Capellan, Philippine Solar Power Alliance president, said several solar power service contract applications were recently submitted to the Department of Energy (DOE).
As of last week, she added that there were some 43 applications totaling 230 megawatts (MW) some which are located in Mindanao and can be deployed within 12 months.
These projects, according to Capellan, are viable solutions to the expected energy crunch in Mindanao this year.
Joe Natividad, Sunwest Water and Electric Co. president and coconvenor of the RE Caucus, prodded the government to review the installation targets of renewable energy projects to spur the development of the emerging industry.
The DOE Renewable Energy Management Bureau, according to NREB, could only confirm a total of 790-megawatt of total renewable-energy generating capacity from 170-MW run-of-river hydropower plants; 370-MW biomass, 20 MW solar photovoltaic systems, 220 MW of wind generating capacity and 10 MW of ocean power generating capacity.
The developers were proposing an installation target totaling 1,482-MW from 442-MW biomass plants, 420-MW solar power plants, 340 MW for wind power plants, 30 MW for ocean and 250-MW hydropower plants.
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