Renewable energy pushed

Sunstar Cagayan de Oro
By Lenesse Marie Libres
Sunday, October 12, 2014

WITH the existing power crisis in Mindanao that also threatens Luzon and Visayas Islands, advocates of renewable energy will hold the 3rd Mindanao Congress of the Advocates for Renewable Energy and Rural Electrification and Development (MinCARED) here in the city on October 30 to empower the energy consumers in Mindanao.

“There is a need to involve consumers in this issue. Thus, we are inviting everyone to join us in the 3rd MinCARED to understand the status of Mindanao’s energy crisis,” Clint Django Pacana, Association of Mindanao Rural Electric Cooperatives (Amreco) executive director, said during the ceremonial signing of the pledge of support to the Congress by various stakeholders, Friday morning, October 10.

Amreco together with Mindanao University of Science and Technology (MUST), Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), and Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) pledged support to holding the congress that aims to push for renewable energy in the region, and in the country.

With the theme “Empowering Mindanao Energy Consumers” the renewable energy advocates hope to produce a Mindanao power development plan and mainstream a common Mindanao power agenda for the Mindanaoans.

“We want to educate consumers because by doing so, by mainstreaming this, we get solutions from them. Sa ila mas maayo mag-gikan ang solution because there is public interest in this,”Pacana said.

Contributing solutions

During the 1st MinCARED, solutions were raised by participating stakeholders for consumers to understand that the supply problem which resulted to rotating brownouts do not emanate from distribution utilities (DUs) thus, enlightening the consumers not to pin the blame to electric cooperatives (ECs) and power distribution utilities (PDUs).

It was bared during the 1st congress that distribution utilities are not the only factor that caused the rotating brownouts, but also the power industry players involving transmission, generation, and the government, as well as the policy framework.

In last year’s MinCARED, strengthening the learning outcomes of the prior congress was its goal. It attempted to facilitate the production of the Mindanao power development plan and mainstream a common power agenda for Mindanao.

This year, the congress will revisit the identified problems and solutions to shape a better and stronger direction toward emancipating the region’s power sector.

Using the information gathered from the previous congress, the 2014 MinCARED aims to further connect and make consumers understand why there is a need of renewable energy, and why it is the cheapest, environment, health and economy-friendly, and currently the best solution to attain power sustainability in the country. source