‘Philippines needs more distributed, adaptable power generation’

MANILA, Philippines — Manila-based climate and energy policy group Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) has underscored the immediate need for increased distribution and adaptable power generation in the country in light of the recent blackouts in Panay

ICSC said a diversified mix of energy sources, including renewables and other distributed technologies, can contribute to a more robust and reliable energy infrastructure, which would lead to a more affordable, reliable and secure power for Filipinos.

Panay, in particular, is still heavily reliant on power generation coming from coal, with four major coal-fired power plants on the island.

Collectively, these coal plants contribute 454.4 megawatts of power to the island’s total installed capacity.

Since the island is heavily dependent on a few centralized coal-fired power plants, ICSC said any disturbance can have disastrous effects on the entire sub-grid.

Given the recent blackouts in Panay, the group said it is imperative to have a reevaluation of the island’s energy mix and grid resilience measures.

ICSC said the reevaluation can include exploring advanced energy storage technologies, enhancing grid interconnections, and strategically integrating renewable energy sources to diversify the island’s energy portfolio.

“Generation and grid planning must evolve to embrace more distributed sources to ensure grid stability, reducing reliance on a few power plants,” ICSC said.

“Through distributed generation, power generation becomes more resilient, less susceptible to single-point failures, and adaptable to variable demand conditions,” it said.

ICSC is a climate and energy policy group based in the Philippines that promotes climate resilience and low-carbon development.