THE PHILIPPINES lags regional peers in terms of the share taken up by solar and wind energy in its power mix, energy think tank Ember said in a report on Thursday.
The Philippines accounts for 10% of power generated in the region, but solar and wind made up only 2.6% of its power mix in 2021, it said.
This is below the 4% average across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the 10% global average, Ember said.
Despite having the second-highest demand growth in the region, only 12% of total electricity demand in the Philippines was serviced by clean sources, it said.
Electricity demand between 2015 and 2021 rose 31%, of which 88% was serviced with fossil fuels, the report added.
While clean electricity generation nearly doubled, power generated from coal power rose 75%.
The share of solar and wind grew from 1.1% to 2.6% during the period, but this was offset by the growth in the share of coal from 27% to 47%, it said.
According to Ember, the Philippine power sector’s CO2 emissions rose accordingly by 42%.
Ember projects the Philippines to increase the share of power generated from solar and wind energy to 16.5% by 2030.
According to the Philippine Energy Plan (2020-2040), the Philippines plans to install an additional 0.76 gigawatts of wind and 18.5 gigawatts of solar power.
Ember said even with these augmentations, solar and wind will only satisfy 38% of the Philippines’ demand in the upcoming decade.
“Solar and wind need to grow rapidly in ASEAN nations, especially considering that they are currently the most economical and fastest way to replace coal,” Ember said. — Diego Gabriel C. Robles