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Editorial: Overcoming energy shortage
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WHILE leaders from the local business community continue to be optimistic about Cebu’s business prospects for 2009, a damper of their positive attitude looms during the early months of the New Year. This is the possibility of power shortages occurring because of an increasing demand in the region. Electricity in Cebu remains “critical” as output of “aging” plants of the National Power Corp. (Napocor) reportedly declines.
Indeed, according to an official of the National Transmission Corp., “the demand for electricity—especially in Cebu—continues to grow. This brings the power supply situation…to a state where there is hardly any reserve. Without power reserve brownouts occur.” Napocor issued a warning to the public “to prepare for the worse next year, like ‘daily brownouts’ during peak ours on weekdays.
“Power agency officials say the power generation sector can only employ ‘band aid’ measures, and therefore urged the public to pray for cooler weather, which would reduce demand for electricity by about 50 megawatts. A Visayan Electric Co. study says Cebu now has a total power demand of around 460 megawatts. It is nine percent higher than 2007. Thus, the prospect of still higher demand in 2009 makes power supply critical.
The study points out that previously, the average yearly increase in demand averaged only from three to four percent. Hence, the nine percent rise in demand this year is rather unusual, and if the same trend continues in the coming year, the Cebuanos and the Cebu business community are in for trouble. While coal-fired power generating plants are being built in Naga and Toledo cities, their power supply would not be available until 2010.
However, the reported signing by the President of the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 seems to be silver lining suddenly appearing in an otherwise darkening horizon. The renewable energy law is expected to make the republic 60 percent energy self-sufficient by 2010. According to the President herself, the new legislation is the first and most comprehensive renewable energy law in Southeast Asia.
The new law will enable the Philippines to capture a part of the “soaring investments in renewable energy development worldwide pegged at $71 billion last year.” With the renewable energy law in effect, the country spiritedly pursue the development of such “resources as solar, biomass, geothermal, hydropower, wind, and ocean energy technologies,” natural power generators all that do not need costly imported crude oil.
A study made by the University of the Philippines Engineering Center reportedly shows that “the country can save as much as $2.9 billion” just by merely avoiding purchases of fossil fuel by increasing our “renewable energy share in its power generation mix from 0.16 percent to 41 percent. This way, the Philippines can reduce “oil imports by half, and the savings can be used for social and infrastructure programs.”
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here.
(December 19, 2008 issue)
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Feedback: Your views and reactions
Here in Switzerland they
Here in Switzerland they are now debating their power problems for year 2011. They are now trying to phase out all sale of high energy consuming electric bulbs. In fact..they are selling it at 50% discount in some occasion just to encourage people to buy the economic bulbs (80%).
Second, they are now urging the elimination of the standby mode to our electronic units at the production level.
Thirdly, they are now changing their public Christmas lighting to the LED technology that could save as far as 80% of electric consumption.
These are some of their solid answer to their power problems. They tried to do it in reality. They don't politicize these things but rather work towards its end. For them, the first step to solve this problem is to save energy. Little things mean a lot.
Energy shortage is simply
Energy shortage is simply the difference between the available energy supply and energy demand. The Philippines' push for renewable energy sources (RES) is laudable but will not address the energy shortage.
There are two fundamental areas to be addressed by policy makers. Demand-side management (DSM) involves policies that change energy consumption behavior. For example, improvement in energy efficiency measures can reduce energy demand. Increasing energy prices can change consumer behavior to be more efficient in energy usage.
The other policy area is the supply-side management (SSM)aspect. Improving energy trade such as reducing the transmission congestion between power sources and users can address energy shortage. If more transmission lines can be interconnected into our transmission grids, then, in areas of low peak demand, their energy supply can be traded with that in areas with peak demand.
The idea of the recently passed energy law of feed-in tariff and allowing other power producers to sell their energy surplus to the grid is very laudable and has helped other countries meet their energy requirement.
In other words, building coal plants that are not ultra- or super-critical is tantamount to mortgaging the quality of life of the future generation of Cebuanos and is not the best solution for the Cebuanos!
A very simple experience of how enlightened public policy can help alleviate our energy shortage. Kampala, Uganda, was suffering from brownouts and decided to put up a new coal power plant to meet the demand. However, the government decided on a better option. Instead of putting up a new coal power plant, the government decided to distribute compact florescent lamps (CFL) to Ugandan households (3 free CFLs per household). The power shortage of Uganda was met and there was no need for a new coal plant.
Why can't we think outside the box? More power generation is not necessarily the correct solution to our power shortage. We are so creative in going around our laws and famous for our "under the table" transactions, but can't we be more creative in addressing our power shortage.