Energy, Power, and Utilities Industry

[Parchie]

Originally Posted by rapuy

I thought that peak energy demand is during the daytime when people are at work, schools and shopping, and when all the airconditioning is turned on.

You will not need to store energy from grid-connected solar power plants because all/ or most of the energy produced is fed into the grid instantly, right? Usually solar power is only used to supplement the existing base power and it cannot supply the whole demand for the locality. It is a priority to be fed in to the grid according to the Renewable Energy Act, so you will not have excess energy that needed to be stored.

Previous experiences tell me the residential peak is at night! Taking all loads into consideration, peak occurs at around 9:30 AM when factories shall have set up all equipment and are doing production runs.

The case being thought of is having to phase out conventional energy sources with much ballyhooed solar energy. Please consider a scenario where the total installed capacity of solar energy is enough to supply the whole grid. RE Act prioritizes dispatch of all solar sources and the System Operators end up scheduling off those conventional sources, am I right? And then, the SO's call them one by one for startup when the solar generation drops off. Imagine the stresses those thermal plants experience by running up late in the afternoon and getting offline at around 7AM the next day! Aside from the startup costs, which uses resources just for starting up and not producing a single kW, beats the hell out of them power generation people! From a managements' PoV, it's madness!

[Wind Shear]

That's why in some residences wanted to be off-grid, solar power is usually supplemented by wind power.

[Parchie]

Originally Posted by Wind Shear

That's why in some residences wanted to be off-grid, solar power is usually supplemented by wind power.

I don't know how to take your post but it seems you are saying some residences that are (not wanted)"off-the-grid" and are using solar power, some usually supplement power using wind power!

We have to admit that there are places where there are no power lines strung and the only economical options are wind and solar power. But it should not be a "one solution fits all" thing. We must be aware of the cost of owning either of the power systems available. Sometimes, the cost of acquiring these power sources are prohibitive for poor citizens.

[william :D]

P2B WIND POWER PROJECT IN ORIENTAL MINDORO STARTS

CALAPAN CITY – The government has formally announced that the first phase of the P2-billion worth and 44-megawatt wind power project in Oriental Mindoro will start this April with the construction of the needed facilities in Puerto Galera municipality.

Oriental Mindoro First District Congressman Rodolfo G. Valencia told newsmen here that last March 15, a memorandum of agreement was signed by him, Governor Alfonso V. Umali, Jr., Director General Cayetano Paderanga of National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Secretary Jose Rene D. Almendras of Department of Energy (DOE) and Brulli Energia for the construction of 16-megawatt facility for the first phase of the project, which its groundbreaking will be held on April 15.

Congressman Valencia told newsmen that with the subsequent implementation of the total 44-megawatt wind power project, as a result of concerned groups’ cooperation, the power rates in the whole province will be lowered. This is because that aside from the said project in Puerto Galera, a similar undertaking is now being conceptualized for realization in Bulalacao, the southernmost tip municipality in Oriental Mindoro.

According to Valencia, once the project be completed, the P13 per kilowatt-hour being presently charged from electric consumers here will be lowered to an estimated P6.50 per kilowatt.

The project will be mainly managed by Brulli Energia, a private Italian company that handles major part of electric transmission grid in Italy and specializes in operating electric transmission stations and power plants from hydro power plant to wind farms.

The $44-million or almost P2-billion project is envisioned to be the “most modern and most efficient wind power in the Philippines."

According to the explanation of Gian Luigi Montorsi, managing director of Brulli Energia, there will only be 10-15% of the total project cost will be allotted to its maintenance cost. And once the project become successful, Oriental Mindoro is estimated to reach a total electric generating capacity of 260 megawatts.
http://islandsentinel.com/2011/03/29...indoro-starts/

[FlashCollider]

[Fraulein]

Japan investors bullish on Phl power sector
By Donnabelle L. Gatdula (The Philippine Star) Updated April 11, 2011 12:00


http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx...ticleId=674966

MANILA, Philippines - Japanese investors in the power sector are still bullish in the Philippines despite the impact on their respective operations of the recent earthquake, the country’s top energy official said.

Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said Marubeni Corp., which operates TeaM Energy Philippines, is still eager to push through with the expansion of the Pagbilao and Sual coal-fired power plants.

“Marubeni insists they are still ok with it (expansion),” he said.

Almendras also commended the Japanese financial institution, Japan International Cooperation Agency, for its effort to fund its projects in the Philippines.

“I salute the Japanese because despite what’s happening there, JICA is still willing to push through with our deal. As far as the other Japanese companies are concerned, they are in tune,” he said.

JICA had earlier committed to provide technical assistance to the Energy Department for the master plan for the natural gas industry.

JICA supports the socioeconomic development, recovery or economic stability of developing regions.

“They (JICA) will conduct the master plan for LNG (liquefied natural gas),” Almendras said.

But Almendras said Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco), the partner of Marubeni in TeaM Energy, is likely to set aside plans to engage in the country’s energy service companies (ESCO) amid its ongoing nuclear problem in Japan.

Almendras said Tepco may no longer participate in the ESCO projects of the government.

“The one thing we lost was the possible joint venture with Tepco. We were looking at a possible joint venture with Tepco for a possible ESCO. That will have to be set aside,” he said.

[FlashCollider]

DoE eyes add'l 1,050 MW as anchor load
By MYRNA M. VELASCOApril 12, 2011, 1:35amMANILA, Philippines – The

Department of Energy (DoE) is betting on additional capacity of 1,050 megawatts in the southernmost power grid that can hopefully be shared by Visayas and Mindanao via the proposed P21 billion transmission link-up project.

Of that capacity though, only 300 megawatts of coal are classified as “committed capacity,” according to Energy Secretary Rene D. Almendras. The other 750MW coal-fired facilities are still in the planning process.

If the energy department gave the go-signal for the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to rush the Leyte-Mindanao grid interconnection project, the energy chief pointed out that has been hinged on the present overcapacity in the Visayas.

“The commitments in Mindanao are about 300MW. If there will be an El Nino, that will not be enough. We’re trying to put in place the Leyte-Mindanao (interconnection) because the Visayas has excess power now,” he said.

That has been in reference to the coal-fired power project of Conal Holdings of 200-MW capacity in Saranggani province; and the other is the 100-MW by the Aboitiz group. Another project the department is eyeing would be the expansion of the 210-MW Steag coal plant.

Almendras albeit admitted that the excess power for Visayas may only last until 2015. New investments are actually being packaged now to prevent new round of power supply scarcity in the grid in the next four years.

The DoE is being cautioned on the Leyte-Mindanao interconnection project without first assuring that there would be additional capacity to be wheeled through the interconnected lines. Otherwise, it will end up a very costly investment which the people will be shouldering in their electric bills.


But the energy chief is dealing with assumptions that with the linked-up lines, investors “could go either way. They can build power plants in Mindanao or they can build power plants in Visayas. There are groups interested in doing both.”

Almendras added “we really like the idea today that we have the flexibility to move power from Luzon to the Visayas. Our peak load in Luzon is during the day. So if we have a shortage, we can actually get power from Visayas, bring it to Luzon during the day up to 4 p.m.,” adding that this is the same arrangement they would want to see eventually for Visayas and Mindanao.

For the proposed South Cotabato coal plant, Almendras is looking forward to prospects that the host local government unit will finally allow coal mining activities for the facility’s fuel source.

“The South Cotabato power plants if allowed would be 750MW. There’s enough coal for the next 25 years at 750MW,” he said.

The energy chief added “with the proposed 750MW plus the committed 300MW, that will be 1,050MW – that is the load of Mindanao today. So if that project will push, we’ll also have excess power in Mindanao, so that can go either way.”.

[FlashCollider]

User’s charge for renewable power lower than proposed charge lower than

THE NATIONAL Renewable Energy Board (NREB) estimates feed-in universal charges to be at P0.1138 per kilowatt-hour, despite the clamor of renewable energy investors for a higher rate, board chairman Pedro H. Maniego told reporters on Thursday.

"The estimated impact on the feed-in tariff allowance, based on the current proposed feed-in tariff rates and installation targets, is lower than the figure given by the Renewable Energy Caucus. The NREB feed-in tariff allowance impact is only P0.1138 per kilowatt-hour (kWh)," said Mr. Maniego.

He added the NREB is assuring cost of renewable energy will not exceed its estimated amount.

The NREB earlier approved an 830-megawatt installation target for renewable energy plants.

Feed-in tariff allowance is the universal charge all end-users will have to pay for using electricity generated from so-called renewable energy sources.

It will be indicated in customers’ electricity bill as a separate item.

Through the feed-in tariff allowance, a fund is created from which renewable energy investors will draw their approved guaranteed payment, called feed-in tariff rate. This rate has not yet been approved, as the Energy Regulatory Commission has not yet received the final application of the NREB for feed-in tariff levels.

Members of the Renewable Energy Developers’ Caucus have estimated feed-in tariff allowance should be P0.16/kWh with all renewable energy plants operating at full capacity, as based on an earlier study of NREB.

"An NREB study clearly shows estimates for renewable energy generation cost as only P0.16/kWh by 2014. Power from renewables will only add P0.02 in 2012, P0.09 in 2013 and finally P0.16 in 2014, when all renewable power plants are operating at full capacity," said caucus co-convenor Jose S. Natividad in a separate statement.

Developers had earlier computed feed-in tariff allowance at P0.165/kWh. -- ENJD

[xxxriainxxx]

Japan to Create a Nationwide Super Solar Array
2 Comments


The Prime Minister of Japan, Naoto Kan, is about to announce to the G8 Summit in France his country’s plans to mandate that all buildings come equipped with solar panels by 2030. The announcement of this mandate comes in the wake of the March 11th earthquake and ensuing tsunami that caused a major nuclear crisis at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. This national solar array could help wean the country off of nuclear power and push them into a cleaner, safer future.

Kan believes that this mandate will not only help Japan secure a clean energy future but will also help push the technology behind solar panels into a more efficient space. With more solar panels in demand, more cash will pour into the industry, creating room for more innovation. This massive solar push will also help bring down the costs of solar panels.

News is still pouring out of Japan about the failed nuclear power plant and the continuing struggle to gain control over it. While a group of scientists from the International Atomic Energy Agency touches down in Japan today to investigate the continuing crisis, this national solar announcement seems a great way for the country of Japan to look into a future that would be safe from nuclear emergencies.

Source: http://www.zeitnews.org/energy/japan...lar-array.html

[Parchie]

It's good if they do. When that happens, maybe we can hitch a ride and buy cheaper solar panels from Japan.

With that development, we expect Japan to need more batteries then!

[xxxriainxxx]

Germany to end to nuclear power by 2022
May 30, 2011 - 12:01PM

Germany will shut down all its nuclear plants by 2022, and eight reactors shut down after Japan's nuclear disaster in March will not be reactivated, the government has announced.

The decision, announced by Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen, came after a meeting of leaders of the ruling coalition headed by Chancellor Angela Merkel, which lasted from Sunday evening into the early hours of Monday.

It will make Germany the first major industrial power to give up atomic power.


Source:
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/ge...530-1fbq2.html

[noli-kun]

Originally Posted by Parchie

It's good if they do. When that happens, maybe we can hitch a ride and buy cheaper solar panels from Japan.

With that development, we expect Japan to need more batteries then!

It's probable that solar panels can become staple products in Japanese thrift stores in the country then!

[Mercato]

cool avatar btw. am gonna post more Rizal poetry time permitting...

Originally Posted by noli-kun

It's probable that solar panels can become staple products in Japanese thrift stores in the country then!

I think it would be great if they can increase the power and efficiency of those solar panels. Between solar and wind power, I think solar would be more apt in the Philippine setting (and pro'lley Japan's as well). I had seen gigantic wind turbines dotting the North Sea Coastline and I just cannot imagine the same structures dotting the eastern part of either the Philippines or Japan when the strongest of our annual Typhoons come. It would seem like gigantic propellers being uprooted and swinging around to smash into something. Come to think of it, I havent figured that one out yet. How does a Wind Turbine behave when engulfed by a Typhoon? One thing for sure though, those gargantuan blades will NOT stop spinning...

I think I had seen some European designers wrap large parts of modern buildings with solar panels instead of glass. I had also seen a growing number of street lights in Singapore being solar powered...

[Parchie]

Originally Posted by Mercato

cool avatar btw. am gonna post more Rizal poetry time permitting...
I think it would be great if they can increase the power and efficiency of those solar panels. Between solar and wind power, I think solar would be more apt in the Philippine setting (and pro'lley Japan's as well). I had seen gigantic wind turbines dotting the North Sea Coastline and I just cannot imagine the same structures dotting the eastern part of either the Philippines or Japan when the strongest of our annual Typhoons come. It would seem like gigantic propellers being uprooted and swinging around to smash into something. Come to think of it, I havent figured that one out yet. How does a Wind Turbine behave when engulfed by a Typhoon? One thing for sure though, those gargantuan blades will NOT stop spinning...

I think I had seen some European designers wrap large parts of modern buildings with solar panels instead of glass. I had also seen a growing number of street lights in Singapore being solar powered...

Blade angles are adjustable to conform with surrounding winds. When excessive winds are experienced, the blades are arranged into a "feathering" setting - meaning no net rotational thrust taken from the fast moving winds. That is aside from the electrically-energized, or hydraulically-energized disc brakes housed in the nacelle which can be activated during emergencies.

[Mercato]

thank you. So I see. Thence the design can withstand hurricane/ typhoon strength winds common in our region. I thought the whole thing would just be uprooted and fly away like a hurtling missile.

[rawr]

Originally Posted by Mercato

thank you. So I see. Thence the design can withstand hurricane/ typhoon strength winds common in our region. I thought the whole thing would just be uprooted and fly away like a hurtling missile.

It has its limits, a super typhoon maybe?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3FZ...A&feature=fvst

[Mercato]

I was worried about that. They may have lotsa wind turbines at the North Sea from amsterdam to scandinavia... but I cant imagine their storms can match the power and fury of our Pacific Typhoons... But Japan should make an interesting test case or example for us, it seems like she is trending towards Solar power ...

[nguwerng]

PEDC - Iloilo Coal Fired Power Plant


Panay Power - Diesel Engine Power Plants and PEDC - Iloilo Coal Fired Power Plant


Panay Power and PEDC ; Jaro Floodway(component of the Iloilo Flood Control Project)


Aerial Shots of Panay Power - Diesel Engine Power Plants and PEDC - Iloilo Coal Fired Power Plant

[absinthe_888]

Solar + Wind = Hot Air

DEMAND AND SUPPLY By Boo Chanco
(The Philippine Star) Updated June 01, 2011 12:00 AM

Back in the old days when government really thought out our energy options, we also looked at renewable energy with a lot of interest. But we always had our feet on the ground. We knew just what we can reasonably expect from such RE as solar and wind. The RE resources we really focused on were geothermal and hydro.

Lately however, it became fashionable to tout solar and wind as if these so called alternative energy sources can be anything more than “nice to have.” While it is true that we have so much sun in our tropical country, the available technology to capture energy from all that sunshine and transform it to usable electricity is still rather inefficient. In other words, even as producing a watt of electricity from solar has gone down through the years, it is still way above the cost of producing that same watt from oil, coal or geothermal.

Indeed, solar is still a technology undergoing development. Eventually, it should be commercially viable or competitive with conventional energy. Right now, the only way to make it viable is to subsidize it. It is the same thing with wind. They call that subsidy feed-in-tariff (FiT), a fancy term for the amount they want to add to our electricity bills supposedly to encourage more use of this type of renewable energy.

Some local economists have raised an alarm about going overboard on this FiT in our mindless haste to be seen as fashionably earth loving. The manufacturers of solar and wind energy equipment have successfully lobbied Congress into passing a law that mandates the granting of this subsidy. It also mandates the inclusion of RE into our electricity mix. Because our legislators were only after PR mileage to be seen as being ecologically correct, the law gave no regard to cost implications for our consumers and our industries.

Romy Bernardo, a Ramos era undersecretary of finance, is critical of the P9 billion annual cost of FiT (times 20 years or P180 billion). Of this, 50 per- cent goes to solar and wind, even if they will only account for 20 percent of the RE generated power under the FiT program. “Let’s decide what the public can afford,” Bernardo urges. “It certainly cannot be the P7 to P9 billion PER YEAR over a contract period of 20 years, given the already high cost of power.”

Bernardo is correct. Even the RE developers acknowledge that today’s RE prices are expected to come down. One executive working on the solar initiatives of a local conglomerate told their stockholders meeting just this week that it will take three to five years to reach grid parity based on global studies.

The solar industry is growing so fast, he said, and economies of scale are kicking in. “In the Philippines, projection is by 2015 to 2017, we should reach grid parity.” So why not wait? And why give them subsidy for 20 years when the technology is at grid parity in five? The initial price setting should only be made applicable for the next three or five years. After that, we should review again.

Even if we end up with less RE because we have been too cautious, it would be worse to err on the side of paying too much, locking in the mistake for 20 long years. We already have, in any case, at 34 percent, more RE capacity installed as a percentage of total electricity generated than the US and most European countries. We can afford to wait for the technologies to mature and come down in price.


The Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF), a public advocacy group espousing market-oriented reform for good governance, has taken the position that “Renewable Energy subsidies must be transparent, limited and technology neutral.” The FEF believes the Feed-in-Tariffs to be issued by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) must provide for an absolute peso cap on the total amount of subsidies that the public will be made to bear, capped both on an annual basis and for the life of the project.

The FEF also wants to make sure that the amount of public subsidy for RE projects should be explicitly disclosed and shown to be commensurate to the social benefit that the public is expected to derive from this program. The outlay should be transparently evaluated based on “value for money” to the public.

The FEF also urged the ERC to consider the ability of the public to shoulder additional levies on a per kWh cost of power. As FEF president Toti Chikiamco puts it, “it’s not only household consumers who will suffer but industry too. It will reduce the competitiveness of Philippine industry, already burdened with one of the highest power rates in the region and a strong peso.”

The FEF economists also think we should buy the cheapest RE available before we buy the more expensive technology. They point out that based on the numbers of the National Renewable Energy Board (NREB), it appears that we can subsidize 11 kwh of hydro for the same amount needed to subsidize 1 kwh of solar. The subsidy equivalent for biomass is 6 kwh for 1 kwh of solar.

Actually, even abroad, the economics of solar and wind are being questioned. In an article on MarketWatch, where I borrowed the headline for this column today, market trader Jim Chanos famed for shorting Enron, argues that wind and solar are “not capable” of real cost-effective ways of meeting energy demands. “Wind and solar are not efficient.”

This is not to say that technologies such as Solar Photo Voltaic have no place in our energy mix at this time. The FEF paper admits solar may be the best, or the only substitute, in some areas, for expensive diesel-fired plants serving off-grid customers.

When solar or wind are used to augment off-grid diesel installations, the avoided costs (or the cost of diesel fuel that would have been used) and the avoided emissions are higher, so the required incremental subsidy is less. And no additional reserves or transmission facilities that add to our power costs are needed. In fact, solar technology is already used in a significant number of rural electrification projects all over the country.

Instead of adopting the NREB recommendations, the FEF urges the ERC to set a universal FiT level only fractionally higher than current cost of power at for example, no more than 30 percent higher (vs. in excess of 300 percent premium for solar). ERB can then approve all projects meeting that hurdle, irrespective of technology.

FEF is calling upon the ERC to save our people tens of billions of pesos of needless higher electricity expense over the next 20 years. By doing this, it can also relieve pressure on electricity rates so that universal charges under the EPIRA can be promptly implemented, and thus provide our national treasury funding for needed social and infra spending – instead of giving our money away to foreign suppliers of immature and inefficient technologies.

[Parchie]

Originally Posted by absinthe_888

Solar + Wind = Hot Air

DEMAND AND SUPPLY By Boo Chanco
(The Philippine Star) Updated June 01, 2011 12:00 AM

Back in the old days when government really thought out our energy options, we also looked at renewable energy with a lot of interest. But we always had our feet on the ground. We knew just what we can reasonably expect from such RE as solar and wind. The RE resources we really focused on were geothermal and hydro.

Lately however, it became fashionable to tout solar and wind as if these so called alternative energy sources can be anything more than “nice to have.” While it is true that we have so much sun in our tropical country, the available technology to capture energy from all that sunshine and transform it to usable electricity is still rather inefficient. In other words, even as producing a watt of electricity from solar has gone down through the years, it is still way above the cost of producing that same watt from oil, coal or geothermal.

Indeed, solar is still a technology undergoing development. Eventually, it should be commercially viable or competitive with conventional energy. Right now, the only way to make it viable is to subsidize it. It is the same thing with wind. They call that subsidy feed-in-tariff (FiT), a fancy term for the amount they want to add to our electricity bills supposedly to encourage more use of this type of renewable energy.

Some local economists have raised an alarm about going overboard on this FiT in our mindless haste to be seen as fashionably earth loving. The manufacturers of solar and wind energy equipment have successfully lobbied Congress into passing a law that mandates the granting of this subsidy. It also mandates the inclusion of RE into our electricity mix. Because our legislators were only after PR mileage to be seen as being ecologically correct, the law gave no regard to cost implications for our consumers and our industries.

Romy Bernardo, a Ramos era undersecretary of finance, is critical of the P9 billion annual cost of FiT (times 20 years or P180 billion). Of this, 50 per- cent goes to solar and wind, even if they will only account for 20 percent of the RE generated power under the FiT program. “Let’s decide what the public can afford,” Bernardo urges. “It certainly cannot be the P7 to P9 billion PER YEAR over a contract period of 20 years, given the already high cost of power.”

Bernardo is correct. Even the RE developers acknowledge that today’s RE prices are expected to come down. One executive working on the solar initiatives of a local conglomerate told their stockholders meeting just this week that it will take three to five years to reach grid parity based on global studies.

The solar industry is growing so fast, he said, and economies of scale are kicking in. “In the Philippines, projection is by 2015 to 2017, we should reach grid parity.” So why not wait? And why give them subsidy for 20 years when the technology is at grid parity in five? The initial price setting should only be made applicable for the next three or five years. After that, we should review again.

Even if we end up with less RE because we have been too cautious, it would be worse to err on the side of paying too much, locking in the mistake for 20 long years. We already have, in any case, at 34 percent, more RE capacity installed as a percentage of total electricity generated than the US and most European countries. We can afford to wait for the technologies to mature and come down in price.


The Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF), a public advocacy group espousing market-oriented reform for good governance, has taken the position that “Renewable Energy subsidies must be transparent, limited and technology neutral.” The FEF believes the Feed-in-Tariffs to be issued by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) must provide for an absolute peso cap on the total amount of subsidies that the public will be made to bear, capped both on an annual basis and for the life of the project.

The FEF also wants to make sure that the amount of public subsidy for RE projects should be explicitly disclosed and shown to be commensurate to the social benefit that the public is expected to derive from this program. The outlay should be transparently evaluated based on “value for money” to the public.

The FEF also urged the ERC to consider the ability of the public to shoulder additional levies on a per kWh cost of power. As FEF president Toti Chikiamco puts it, “it’s not only household consumers who will suffer but industry too. It will reduce the competitiveness of Philippine industry, already burdened with one of the highest power rates in the region and a strong peso.”

The FEF economists also think we should buy the cheapest RE available before we buy the more expensive technology. They point out that based on the numbers of the National Renewable Energy Board (NREB), it appears that we can subsidize 11 kwh of hydro for the same amount needed to subsidize 1 kwh of solar. The subsidy equivalent for biomass is 6 kwh for 1 kwh of solar.

Actually, even abroad, the economics of solar and wind are being questioned. In an article on MarketWatch, where I borrowed the headline for this column today, market trader Jim Chanos famed for shorting Enron, argues that wind and solar are “not capable” of real cost-effective ways of meeting energy demands. “Wind and solar are not efficient.”

This is not to say that technologies such as Solar Photo Voltaic have no place in our energy mix at this time. The FEF paper admits solar may be the best, or the only substitute, in some areas, for expensive diesel-fired plants serving off-grid customers.

When solar or wind are used to augment off-grid diesel installations, the avoided costs (or the cost of diesel fuel that would have been used) and the avoided emissions are higher, so the required incremental subsidy is less. And no additional reserves or transmission facilities that add to our power costs are needed. In fact, solar technology is already used in a significant number of rural electrification projects all over the country.

Instead of adopting the NREB recommendations, the FEF urges the ERC to set a universal FiT level only fractionally higher than current cost of power at for example, no more than 30 percent higher (vs. in excess of 300 percent premium for solar). ERB can then approve all projects meeting that hurdle, irrespective of technology.

FEF is calling upon the ERC to save our people tens of billions of pesos of needless higher electricity expense over the next 20 years. By doing this, it can also relieve pressure on electricity rates so that universal charges under the EPIRA can be promptly implemented, and thus provide our national treasury funding for needed social and infra spending – instead of giving our money away to foreign suppliers of immature and inefficient technologies.

There's no other way in which governments can entice development of renewable energy resources but to give incentives into those newly emerging power sources. Large amounts of money should be spent to put up even just a little energy from these inefficient energy sources simply because they are not yet fully-developed. Birth pains ang tawag diyan!

Since our people are so afraid of these environmental doom spread about by these pessimists in our midst, people don't want to/ or get to be badly-informed as to the importance of conventional energy sources. They block construction of coal-powered plants, they wanted solar or wind power instead; and these don't come cheap; these energy sources still need the conventional energy sources to provide energy when those renewables are not generating!

Think of it: we don't want the conventional, cheap and readily available and wanted to have the costly, un-realiable, and location-dependent sources the technology of which are still held by a few countries, hence very expensive and hard to acquire! Most of all, we don't wan to pay for those; we want to pay less for more?