Good News - More Renewable Energy Projects Plus First Philippine Bio Energy Conference

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2137734236/


Here's two good news on the renewable energy sector and of course to the Filipinos.


First is the announcement of Energy Development Corporation (EDC) at last Thursday's Mindanao Renewable Energy forum its 10 projects lined up for implementation. This is in support on the call for investments on renewable energy projects.


According to the report from sunstar.com, six geothermal projects are set to be established in Surigao del Sur, North Cotabato, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, and Zamboanga del Sur plus wind projects in Surigao del Norte.


This projects will create a savings of $5.8 billion in foreign exchange as it is projected to replace the usage of about 114 million barrels of fuel oil plus the environmental and social benefits that it will bring.


Second great news is the country's first bio energy conference which will assess the current status of the bio energy industry, its relevance to climate change and ecological balance, and business opportunities.


Reports from abs-cbnnews.com states that the conference was dubbed "Be Independent, Go Green Energy," the 1st Philippine Bio Energy Conference which will be held on August 18 to 19 at the Manila Hotel.


The conference aims to help develop a robust, vibrant, and profitable agribusiness sector in the country, said the organizers.


It hopes to encourage more investors to go into agribusiness, biofuel feedstock production and processing, and renewable energy production including biomass feedstock production and biopower generation.

World's Largest Solar Powered Ship Visit Manila

        planetsolar.org


A solar powered ship is currently in Manila to promote renewable energy. The ship is known as M/S Tûranor Planet Solar.


According to Inquirer, M/S Tûranor Planet Solar "is not only showcasing the potential of environmentally responsible mobility concepts, but also largely demonstrating the immense potential of solar energy, among other renewable energy sources, as a sustainable resource that can power the future".



This German-built vessel measures 31 by 15 meters and tips the scales at 85 tons. It has over 537 square meters of photovoltaic solar panels providing up to 127 horsepower – enough to keep the craft moving at a constant speed of 14 kilometers per hour.


One of the great thing about this ship is that it is exclusively powered by 38,000 high-efficiency solar cells which are all produced in the Philippines at the manufacturing facilities of SunPower Corp.


According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), this ship has won two accolades – the fastest crossing of the Atlantic by a solar-powered vessel and the longest distance covered by a solar-powered electric vehicle.


The ship which was designed based on the catamaran concept now targets to be the first solar-powered boat to circumnavigate the world. Traveling over 55,000 kilometers westward across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, It has set sail from Monaco in southern France on September 27, 2010 and has just arrived in Manila from Australia.


source: Inquirer

How NEA and DBP Helps in the Realization of Electric Cooperative's Renewable Energy Projects

               http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2137737248/


Just read an article from Philippine Daily Inquirer regarding electric cooperatives' geeting help from National Electrification Administration and the Development Bank of the Philippines. Below were the excerpts from the news.


"State-run National Electrification Administration and the Development Bank of the Philippines have forged an agreement to co-finance the capital expenditure requirements and renewable energy projects of electric cooperatives.


Under a memorandum of agreement, the DBP may use any of its Official Development Assistance (ODA) funds to support the funding requirements of electric cooperatives.


DBP president and chief executive officer Francisco F. del Rosario Jr. said in a statement that the institution’s move to finance the capital expenditures of electric cooperatives would “translate to system loss reduction and, consequently, lower the cost of electricity for consumers.”


The partnership with NEA, Del Rosario added, would also give the bank an opportunity to pursue rural electrification and renewable energy development through electric cooperatives, while helping the government attain its target under the Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016 of providing power to 90 percent of households throughout the country."


Another good news indeed since as what the report has stated, electric cooperatives are having a hard time trying to borrow from banks due to their perceived lack of credit worthiness.


Let us hope that this move from NEA and DBP will help in the realization of full renewable energy development.

The Unseen Dangers of Oil Dependency

Here is a video from TED featuring Edward Burtynsky entitled "Edward Burtynsky photographs the landscape of oil".



Our dependency on oil (lots and lots of it) has brought us to this landscape that spells danger not only to us but also to the future generations. Generations that will probably ask why did their ancestors (we), do this kind of thing.



But we can also do something to avert more problem cause by our reliance on oil. Nature has given us the source of energy that we can use over and over again without going into the trouble of depleting it in the form of different kind of renewable energy.


Renewable energy provides an alternative to the "irreplaceable" oil and we should be thankful that as time goes on more and more people became aware of the importance of this alternative energy. Let us do our share to achieve the dream of minimizing the use of non-renewable energy and the development of more renewable energy sources.

Department of Energy Announces a Deluge of Renewable Energy Project Proposals

         http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielfoster/4791809387/


If ever current renewable energy generation project proposals will be approve and pursue  then expect changes not just on the current supply of electricity but also on the landscapes of project locations. For sure solar and wind farm will attract tourists both young and old alike.


The largest renewable energy proposal is Pan Pacific Renewable Power Phils. Corp.’s 600-MW hydroelectric power project in Apayao (Apayao-Abulug River) followed by CoastalPower Development Corp.’s 420-MW wind farm in Sorsogon (Prieto - Diaz Wind Farm); Jobin-Sqm Inc.’s 100-MW solar project in Zambales; Eoil and Gas Co. Inc.’s 60-MW project in South Cotabato for geothermal; and Green Power Bukidnon Philippines Inc.’s 35-MW biomass project in Maramag, Bukidnon.


 The Department of Energy (DOE) also received 30 new proposals for renewable energy (RE) projects with an aggregate capacity of almost 6,000 megawatts (MW), more than half of which are hydropower with 3,593 MW. The other green power proposals are: 1,431 MW for wind; 537 MW for solar; 230 MW for geothermal; and 195 MW for biomass.


This proposals shows that the Renewable Act of 2008 really helps in advancing the renewable energy sources program in the Philippines.

Philippines, Taiwan Seal Partnership for Electric Vehicle Development

               http://www.flickr.com/photos/lrargerich/3203435803


Here's an excerpt from Philippine Information Agency on the sealing of partnership between the Philippines and Taiwan on electric vehicle development.


"The Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) and the Taiwan Economic Council signed a letter of intent for the Electric Vehicle (EV) Development during the 17th Philippine-Taiwan Joint Economic Conference (JEC).
TECO and MECO expressed their desire to work closely in the facilitation of electric vehicle development in Taiwan and the Philippines.


Taiwan is an emerging global EV leader. Its Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is in the forefront of developing EV technology. Last year, the Taiwanese government announced a seven-year scheme for developing its EV industry, earmarking around $309.2 million in investments for the program." (click here for the whole article)


With this trend, we are assured that we won't be left behind when it comes to green technology and renewable energy development. Let's just hope that we will learn a lot from this kind of things and use the knowledge to improve our current technology which is lagging behind in comparison with our Asian neighbors.

How Does Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Work?

                                         http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcp_dmoz/3928579172/


We have always heard or maybe seen several forms of renewable energy generating plants and equipments like hydroelectric plant or solar panels but Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion or OTEC is not the thing that we heard everyday. People upon hearing this things might say "What's that?" or "How will it generate electricity?".


Well, the following post might help you understands how Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion works.
OTEC uses the heat energy stored in the Earth's oceans to generate electricity.


OTEC works best when the temperature difference between the warmer, top layer of the ocean and the colder, deep ocean water is about 20°C (36°F). These conditions exist in tropical coastal areas, roughly between the Tropic of Capricorn (northern Argentina to Madagascar to Australia) and the Tropic of Cancer (Mexico, Middle East, India, South of Taiwan).


OTEC plants require an expensive, big diameter intake pipe, which is submerged a mile or more into the ocean's depths to bring the cold water to the surface.


Experts believe that by becoming cost-competitive with conventional power technologies, OTEC could produce billions of watts of electrical power.

History shows that OTEC technology was started in 1881 by French physicist Jacques Arsene d'Arsonval, who proposed the tapping of ocean's thermal energy. In 1974 the United States established the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, the main purpose is to provide a support facilities for OTEC research.

There are three types of OTEC systems. First is the Close-Cycle which uses low boiling point fluid being heated by oceans' warm surface water to rotate the turbine which in turn produce electricity. Second is the Open-Cycle system which uses oceans' warm surface water, place on a low pressure container to directly rotate the turbine which of course produces electricity. The third is the Hybrid-Cycle, a combination of Close and Open Cycles, in this case warm water heated at low pressure chamber vaporizes and in turn also vaporizes the fluid with low boiling point which rotates the turbine.

                               DIAGRAM OF HOW OTEC WORKS

         wikipedia.org


Aside from the main product which is electricity, cold seawater can flow directly to the cooling system for air-conditioning purposes. Used seawater which losses much salt during the process can also be use for drinking and agricultural purposes.

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Technology Coming to the Philippines

         http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/204412311

Expect our future electricity to be supplied by a diverse energy sources. Especially that an additional renewable energy sources is being proposed and soon to be operational by year 2018. This kind of renewable energy is known as the Ocean Energy Thermal Conversion or OTEC.

OTEC is an energy technology that converts solar radiation to electric power. OTEC systems use the ocean's natural thermal gradient—the fact that the ocean's layers of water have different temperatures—to drive a power-producing cycle. As long as the temperature between the warm surface water and the cold deep water differs by about 20°C (36°F), an OTEC system can produce a significant amount of power.

Data from the National Renewable Energy Plan book showed that the first project to go into operation will be the 10-megawatt Cabangan ocean energy thermal conversion (Otec) project in Zambales, Philippines.

The Cabangan project is one of 20 indicative power projects, which are expected to require a combined P11 billion in investments.

“While the country is endowed with vast ocean resource potential, there have been very limited activities in this sector. This is primarily because of the high investment cost for its exploitation,” according to the Philippines' Department of Energy

.

A study conducted by the Mindanao State University indicated that the country, being an archipelago, has a theoretical capacity of 170,000 megawatts over a 1,000 square kilometer ocean resource area.

Source: inquirer.net