100% renewable energy eyed in 10 years

Jun 23, 2012 - by JAMES KONSTANTIN GALVEZ - manilatimes.com

The Climate Change Commission is set to lay groundwork for sustainable energy roadmap for the Philippines, which aims to shift the country’s current fuel system to 100-percent renewable energy capacity in 10 years.

“Our government and its leadership is concerned with the latest scientific reports that global warming has accelerated, and believe the country must begin to program a path of low carbon to zero carbon along a broad partnership of the public interest and private sector,” CCC Commissioner Heherson Alvarez said.

According to Alvarez, a sustainable energy system will require significant planning cooperation with private, government and international finance institutions.

“The proposed roadmap will be designed to shift our fuel system and increase renewable energy by 100-percent capacity possibly in 10 years,” Alvarez said.

He explained that over the long run, as the country’s growing renewable energy capacity displaces imported carbon-polluting fuels, Philippine products and services are bound to become more competitive and more jobs would be created.

“The energy roadmap will unroll a ‘carbon war’ program of our determined government,” Alvarez added.

Today, the CCC will launch the Philippine program from carbon fuel dependency to low carbon, and into zero carbon regime with renewable sources of energy.

The launching will be held at Casa Roces, San Miguel, Manila.

The CCC has invited Dr. Alexander Ochs of the Worldwatch Institute, a global leader in climate-compatible development and international renewable energy policy based in Washington, D.C., to introduce to local government units a sustainable energy roadmap based on the resource capability of each province.

Ochs, head of the Climate and Energy Program of Worldwatch, will present the institute’s Sustainable Energy Roadmap that takes an integrated approach to examining the technical, financial and policy changes necessary for transitioning to a sustainable energy regime.

Worldwatch Institute partners and collaborates with governments to ensure that roadmaps reflect national priorities. It is now developing sustainable energy roadmaps for the governments and energy stakeholders in Aruba, Sub-Saharan Africa, India, Southeast Asia and Central America.