By Iris Gonzales (The
Philippine Star) | Updated May 23, 2016 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines – Solar
Philippines founder Leandro Leviste has rallied Asia’s top businessmen and
venture capitalists to stop 29 new coal plants that are soon to rise in the
Philippines.
Leviste, who is among Forbes Under
30 list of businessmen, made the call last week during the Under 30 Summit Asia
hosted by Forbes in Singapore.
Instead of coal, Leviste said solar
energy can be the viable alternative.
During the summit, Leviste said
solar is quickly becoming cheaper and can very well replace coal, a traditional
technology used by most power plants in the Philippines but has long been
criticized by environmental groups.
“Solar can already replace all gas
and diesel in the Philippines today, and it is only a question of when prices
will enable solar plus batteries to replace coal,” Leviste said.
“Even with conservative assumptions,
this should happen by the time the new coal plants come online,” he said.
Leviste, the son of Senator Loren
Legarda and former Batangas Governor Antonio Leviste, said the Philippines
risks long-term environment and health issues with the continued use of coal.
“If we don’t act now, my country
risks not only long-term harm to the environment and public health, but also
locking in future generations to expensive, twentieth century technology…Coal
companies themselves should realize that coal is a bad investment, and should
shelve their projects now before it’s too late,” he said.
The Philippines, he told the
audience, is a huge potential market for solar energy given the prevailing high
electricity prices and high sunlight levels.
“This can be the first time a nation
of 100 million would entirely wean itself away from fossil fuel. It makes me
proud as a Filipino that we can be the world’s first largest country where 100
percent solar becomes a reality.”
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