ADB chooses RP as pilot area for small wind power projects

MANILA, Philippines - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has chosen the Philippines as one of the sites for its pilot project on small wind systems.

ADB specialist on regional and sustainable development department Jiwan Acharya told reporters at the recently-concluded Clean Energy Forum that these small wind projects are intended to help provide reliable and affordable emission-free electricity to remote areas.

“Small wind is a sustainable solution for rural, remote and dispersed markets, reducing energy import dependence, and entailing no fuel price risk or constraints,” he said.

Acharya said they expect to start the project by identifying the 5,000 villages where small wind systems will be installed. A small wind farm has a rated capacity of less than 100 kilowatts.

 “It will explore innovative and practical approaches to reduce costs of wind power equipment by transferring appropriate technologies and optimizing manufacturing processes,” he said.

The ADB official added they would try to look for ways to reshape financing modalities and instruments, and mobilize carbon credits in a pragmatic way.

This project, he said, would also encourage public–private partnerships to stimulate investment and research and development activities for clean and renewable energy as well as displace combustion of biomass and fossil fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

 “Moreso, it will also improve national and village-level capacities for planning, implementing, and maintaining decentralized systems for power generation and distribution,” he said.

ADB has earmarked $3.87 million for the project, which also includes Nepal and Mongolia.

Earlier, ADB announced a range of initiatives to bring down barriers-such as price and policy issues-that prevent the wide-scale adoption of low-carbon and clean-energy technologies in the Asia and Pacific region.

 These include ADB’s Asia Solar Energy Initiative (ASEI) that aims to identify and develop large -capacity solar projects that will generate 3,000 megawatt (MW) of solar power by 2012.

 ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members- 48 from the region.

In 2009, it approved a total of $1.6 billion in financing operations through loans, grants, guarantee, a trade finance facilitation program, equity investments, and technical assistance projects.  ADB also mobilized co-financing amounting to $3.2 billion.

Based on its studies, the wind power generating potential of the Philippines stands at 76,600 mw  but most of these potential areas have yet to be developed.