DOE budget hiked for studies on ‘transition’ technologies

Published December 2, 2020, 6:00 AM by Myrna M. Velasco
https://mb.com.ph/2020/12/02/doe-budget-hiked-for-studies-on-transition-technologies/

The 2021 budget of the Department of Energy (DOE) has been shored up so it will have leverage to fund studies on technologies that will rev up the country’s ‘energy transition’ paradigm.

The extra allocation stood at P46 million – and these will be channeled to studies relating to comprehensive roadmap for the deployment of electric vehicles (EVs); prospects for waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities; and a tailor-fitted energy transition study for the country.

The budget for the EV study had been pegged at P20 million; while another P20 million had been set for the energy transition study; and P6.0 million for the propounded waste-to-energy ventures.

Senate committee on energy Chairman Sherwin T. Gatchalian said he pushed for the research funding, so the DOE could explore the country’s way on how it can take advantage of the new technologies in the market in transforming energy systems as well as in bringing down electricity rates.

“We have to invest on research to explore the potentials of emerging energy sources,” the lawmaker said, as he emphasized that the outcome “will have lasting impact in our daily lives and will save us money in the long run.”

Given the continuous downtrend in the technology costs of renewable energy (RE) as well as battery storage, Gatchalian indicated that “it is paramount for the DOE to start studying scenarios on how to achieve a holistic energy transition in the Philippines towards a decentralized, digitalized and decarbonized energy system without sacrificing energy security and affordability.”

The EV transition, in particular, was already plotted in the country’s energy agenda for roughly a decade now, but the Philippines is still fledgling on that targeted mobility shift when compared to Asian neighbors.

There is also massive-scale push for RE installations in the country, but corollary concerns such as efficient grid integration and even the issues of land conversion have yet to be addressed tangibly by energy leaders and policy framers.

“The conduct of study on energy transition should have a whole industry and government approach to cover all types of energy utilized in all sectors – agriculture, fisheries and forestry, commercial and industrial, residential and transportation – as well as the roles of various government agencies,” the lawmaker said.

In Gatchalian’s view, the EVs in particular will have “the potential to reduce the country’s oil import dependence and greenhouse gas emissions arising from transport.”

Taking cue from that, he noted that “it is crucial to equip DOE with the resources to prepare a comprehensive program for the rollout of electric vehicles in the country.”
On the targeted waste-to-energy facilities, the lawmaker noted that these remain largely untapped, thus, a budget has been earmarked for DOE “to assess the potential of WTE in the country,” because such projects will not only solve garbage problems but would also be able to maximize sources of indigenous energy resources.