May 262013
 
Use of solar power urged to lower oil dependence

MANILA, Philippines – Harnessing solar power in the Philippines can decrease the country’s  dependence on the increasing and volatile prices of fossil fuels as bulk of the country’s supply of crude and finished petroleum products  come from the Middle East, a report developed by the GIZ on behalf of  the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology said.    Citing data from the Department of Energy, the report said that while  the aspirational solar energy target set by the government is 1,528  megawatts, the potential may even be greater.    The DOE’s 2009 to 2030 Power Development Plan said the country’s  energy consumption may reach 149,067 gigawatt-hours (Gwh) by 2030,  from an estimated demand of 86,809 Gwh by 2018 and actual demand of  55,417 Gwh in 2008.      “Peak demand should hit 14,311 Gwh by 2018 and go up to 24,534 Gwh by  2030 from 2008’s 9,226 Gwh,” the report said.    As such, to ensure adequate power supply, additional capacity can  come from renewable energy, particularly from solar power.    The National Renewable Energy Program said the country’s RE base  should reach 15,304 MW by 2030, almost triple the current installed  base, of which 10 percent will be attributed to solar energy.    Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 In the report, the GIZ said the installed base for solar can be  increased and accelerated.      It said that under the so-called feed-in-tariff (FIT) rules, the Energy  department needs to decide on how to continue the process after the  target has been reached Read More …