The Department of Energy reported the country’s installed renewable energy capacity as having increased by 16 percent this year, underscoring the growing shift toward cleaner and more sustainable energy sources.
RE capacity has reached 5,713.3 megawatts as of end-September, higher than the 4920.48 MW installed capacity registered at the end of 2019. There are now a total of 1,079 RE projects as of September, out of which 1,025 are for commercial use while 54 are for private use. Of the total projects, 556 are hydropower, 8 ocean energy, 32 geothermal, 79 wind, 329 solar and 84 biomass.
DOE data also showed that the projects have a total potential capacity of 30,599.9 MW and a total estimated energy generation of 26.8 million megawatt-hours.
Meanwhile, there are a reported total of 44 project applications under the RE Act of 2008 with a total potential capacity of 1,478.9 MW.
In 2019, RE only accounted for 20.8 percent of the country’s power generation mix, lower than the 33.9 percent RE share when the RE Act was implemented in 2008. National Renewable Energy Board chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta said the country’s target of a 35 percent RE share in the power generation mix by 2030 is still achievable despite RE’s decreasing share over the years, through the implementation of the Renewable Portfolio Standards, a market-based policy that requires power distribution utilities, electric cooperatives and retail electricity suppliers to source an agreed portion of their energy supply from eligible RE facilities.
The shift of cleaner and sustainable energy sources is non-negotiable, especially for a country that is among the hardest hit by the negative effects of climate change. Our recent experience with the powerful superstorms and massive flooding that resulted in devastation in Luzon underscores the need to do everything we can to mitigate the effects of climate change. As the Department of Energy crafts and implements the policies that can make this goal possible, we should also do our best to increase awareness and encourage this shift among ourselves who will ultimately be the most impacted by any initiative that successfully reduces the damage that the human race has been inflicting on our planet.*
