Another round of oil-price increase! The Department of Energy (DOE) confirmed this on Sunday due to the continuing rise in global crude prices from $4 to $5 per barrel. If this pushes through, this would be the 12th time oil companies increase their price since the year started, as the unrest in the oil-producing countries of the Middle East continues to escalate.
This is the perennial dilemma of our country as an importer of fuels and oil for our energy needs. It means that when the price of oil increases, Filipinos have to bear the brunt of the upward spiral of fuel and power costs.
It is opportune time for the government and the private sector to focus on the development of renewable energy (RE). Using RE means that we use energy sources that are not clean and reliable, but sustainable, such that it addresses our country’s problem on energy security. Since the signing of the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, we have seen massive developments and significant investments in RE. Apart from government support, according to the DOE, our country has a vast potential for RE development.
Wind energy
The Philippines is the largest wind-power producer in Southeast Asia at 33 megawatts (MW). Wind energy has a huge potential of producing 76,600 MW. This is attributed to the country’s location in the Asia-Pacific monsoon belt, with good-to-excellent wind-resource potential in over 10,000 square kilometers of windy land areas. Wind- turbine technology is already mature and there are advanced systems that are both cheaper and more efficient than previous design.
Geothermal energy
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