The Department of Energy said it will take time for the Philippines to transition to 100 percent renewable energy (RE), and Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla called for the industry to be more honest about how long the shift will take.
Lotilla said that while government continues to work on expanding renewable energy use, the energy transition will take time. “The energy transition has to take place over time if it is going to be a just transition. But if we are simply going to do away with (legacy technologies) overnight, then these are going to be lost investments as far as the economy is concerned,” he said.
He said that government recognizes that renewable energy is the way forward for attaining security, sustainability, and affordability of energy prices.
He also said that the effective implementation of energy efficiency and conservation measures is an equally important aspect of the government’s energy programs.
“The effective implementation of energy efficiency to bring down overall energy consumption, lower greenhouse gas emissions… sustainable development goals require a change in lifestyle, a change in consumption patterns,” Lotilla said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in his second State of the Nation Address that the government will need to accelerate its programs to attain the goal of increasing the share of RE to 35 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040.
Pedro Maniego Jr., senior policy advisor of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities said that the Philippines still has a long way to go from achieving its Philippine Energy Plan targets.
The transition to renewable energy will definitely require much time and effort. Since everyone in the world has been given and is working with the same amount of time, it will be determination and effort that will spell the difference between nations that achieve transition on schedule and those who don’t.
Hopefully the government and private sector in the Philippines is working hard, and in coordination with each other, to achieve our Philippine Energy Plan targets and contribute to the global effort to address global warming and climate change by reducing emissions.*
