Philippines: "politics should be set aside ... to find alternative energy sources"

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/11/04/oped/nini.b..cabaero.beyond.30.html

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Cabaero: Alternative energy sources

By Nini B. Cabaero
Beyond 30

THE rising prices of oil products have offered the government with the occasion to call for unity among the different sectors in seeking alternative sources of energy.

A statement released by the presidential palace over the weekend said the latest increase in the prices of oil products in the world market should serve as a wake-up call for everyone, including critics, to work with government in finding alternative sources of energy and learning to conserve what sources are available.

It quoted Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye as saying politics should be set aside in favor of working together to find alternative energy sources. He explained that government had nothing to do with the “runaway price of oil,” so we might as well pool “our collective patriotic efforts” to address the energy issue.

But in the course of developing alternatives, there is the problem of corruption that could derail such attempts.

Several warnings have been made by the world’s oil leaders that the rising cost per barrel of oil will continue beyond the US $96 per barrel price because of limited production, the weakening dollar and the onset of winter in other parts of the world. Some predict that the price could breach the US $100 per barrel mark.

Indeed, every time the prices of oil products increase, there is stimulus to seek alternative sources of fuel. The Philippines has geothermal energy resources currently being tapped to provide electricity in parts of the country, mostly in the Visayas.

As to how long such resources would continue to be available is subject to debate as some experts doubt if geothermal energy, coming from the heat of the earth, is truly renewable. These geothermal plants were built under build-operate-transfer agreements.

In northern Luzon, the windmills of Bangui, Ilocos Norte, provide communities with an alternative source of energy. The windmills create a picturesque landscape and provide foreign and local tourists with a fascinating experience.

The windmills stand 70 meters tall, face the sea and create an eerie whishing sound that can hold the visitor with a feeling of awe. They were constructed under a build-operate-and-own scheme, with funding coming from a US $40-million loan from the Danish Development Agency. In terms of “renewability” of the resource, proponents said the wind farm of Ilocos Norte will continue to provide energy for as long as there is wind.

No other wind farm can be found in the country, although the Philippines’ topography and archipelago features make wind power a viable alternative energy resource.

The country’s alternative energy projects have been funded by foreign loans through various schemes, the build-operate-transfer and the build-operate-own. Schemes that address our needs and our limited funding capacities. Except, what could impede the discovery of more alternative fuel sources would be the entry of corruption that had marked and derailed other such schemes.