Monday, January 29, 2007 Biofuel advocates eye renewable energy in power sector as next target
THE Philippine Fuel Ethanol Alliance, an advocacy group that successfully lobbied for the passage of the Biofuels law, is now asking lawmakers to pass a more comprehensive measure covering all renewable energy, to include those that can be applied to the power sector.
The group said it is now the most appropriate time for the country to pass the bill to reflect a growing opinion about the comprehensive merits of renewable energy.
Ethanol Alliance also cited the recent State of the Union Address delivered by US President George W. Bush, who harked about America's need to diversify energy supply.
Bush, known to have a soft stance on renewable sources of energy, supported revolutionary solar and wind technologies that will reduce overall demand for fossil fuels and lead to lower energy costs.
To implement such renewable energy-focused policy, the White House reportedly will propose in the 2007 budget a new $148-million Solar America Initiative and an increase of $65 million over last year and to accelerate the development of semi-conductor materials that convert sunlight directly to electricity.
According to the White House, these solar photovoltaic cells can be used to deliver energy services to rural areas and can be incorporated directly into building materials so that there can be future "zero energy" homes that produce more energy than they consume.
Another policy focus is to expand clean energy from wind.
The US 2007 budget includes $44 million for wind energy research, a $5-million increase over the 2006 levels.
The budget aims to help improve the efficiency and lower the costs of new wind technologies for use in low-speed wind environments.
For the Ethanol Alliance, these initiatives from the Bush administration, who bluntly addressed the issue of climate change for the first time, is a clear indication that the Philippines should already step up efforts to promote and pursue non-conventional, alternative sources of energy for the power sector.
The group also said that the Philippines can tap proven sources of renewable energy such as wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass and promote them further to achieve energy independence and address climate changes.
