MANILA, Philippines - The biggest gathering of renewable energy stakeholders since the passage of the Renewable Energy Act in 2008 will happen on Dec. 2 and 3, 2010 at Dusit Thani Manila during the Renewable Energy Conference and Expo Manila 2010. The conference will examine the progress made and identify measures that will help scale-up renewable energy development.
Thirty-three percent of the country’s power generating capacity or 5,355 MW is currently sourced from renewable energy resources. The Renewable Energy Law was passed with the aim of increasing the country’s renewable energy capacity by a hundred percent in 10 years from the law’s passage.
Organized by the Renewable Energy (RE) Coalition, in cooperation with the Department of Energy, the conference will be guided by the theme, “From Policy to Action: Generating Impacts in 2010 and Beyond”. This conference will offer an opportunity for genuine dialogue among at least 350 stakeholders—including Cabinet-level officials, legislators, international financial organizations, international RE experts, RE developers, members of civil society, the academe and the scientific community—to assess the gains made and the challenges faced in the implementation of the RE Law. “Two hundred five RE contracts have been signed by the DOE with RE developers since the passage of the RE Law. It is important that these contracts translate to additional clean energy capacities and benefits for the country at large,”said Energy Sec. Rene Almendras.
Non-government organizations working in the field of sustainable development and poverty housing, such as Habitat for Humanity Philippines and various church-based groups, will also be on hand to seek a broader application of RE technologies in off-grid communities and in areas that are not currently serviced by electricity generators and suppliers. Nine hundred sixty-two barangays have yet to be provided electricity as of December 2008. “Promoting and mainstreaming renewable energy is an integral part of the country’s energy reform agenda, together with other energy options. RE development would enable local communities to take stock of their own resources and develop these for their own benefits,” according to Sec. Almendras.
The country’s renewable energy potential is placed at 247,000MW based on estimates of the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory. “Developing even a fourth of the estimates would generate 10 times more than the present RE capacity of the country, and more than three times the current installed generating capacity of all our power plants. To get there, we first need to know how much of these potentials really exist,” according to Catherine Maceda, lead convenor of the RE Coalition.
Local and international speakers will discuss the energy situation and scenarios and identify ways by which current renewable energy efforts may be further improved to address the twin issues of energy security and climate change. Major milestones realized since the passage of the RE Law will be examined to ensure that efforts are aligned with the needs of the country at large. Technological advances in RE will also be shared by speakers who are involved in RE projects from across the region, with the view to promoting exchanges in best practices. Regulatory hurdles, technical barriers, financing challenges, will be just among the topics to be discussed.
The two-day conference is designed to maximize dialogue, interaction, and networking among participants. An exposition will also be featured, highlighting the latest RE technology trends and RE sector milestones.
The conference’s primary sponsors are Energy Development Corp. and First Gen Corporation; the platinum sponsors are AboitizPower Corp., Chevron Geothermal Philippines Holdings Inc., and First Metro Investment Corp.; the gold sponsor is SunPower Philippines Manufacturing Ltd.; the conference partner is Habitat for Humanity Philippines; the media partners are ABS-CBN News Channel, BusinessWorld Publishing Corp., Inquirer.net, and The Philippine Star; and the associate sponsors are Acer Philippines and Panasonic Manufacturing Philippines Corporation.
Interested participants are invited to visit the conference website at http://www.re2010.com