Eureka!
Tapping the power of the sun
By Crispin C. Maslog*
IT is good to hear that the Philippines will soon have its largest micro-grid solar power plant so far in Palawan which will generate 1.3 megawatts of clean, renewable energy.
Built by Singapore-based WEnergy, the plant will cost P325 million and have 5,000 solar panels that will power more than 600 homes, businesses and hotels in Puerto Princesa.
The Philippines is gradually getting on the solar energy bandwagon. The government has approved the construction of the country’s biggest solar power project to date in Negros Occidental.
This US$440 million, 22 megawatt solar plant on a 35-hectare site is expected to be up and running by the second quarter of 2014, adding more than 35 million kilowatt-hours a year to the regional grid.
Another four solar power projects with a combined capacity of 50 megawatts are also planned to be built in the Philippines in 2014 by the Belgium-based solar developer Enfinity.
It is about time that the Philippines and our Southeast Asian and Pacific Ocean neighbors tap the power of the sun. This makes sense in these island nations near the equator where it is mostly sunny and where pricey imported diesel generators are the main source of electricity, leaving them vulnerable to volatile global fuel prices.
In November 2012, Tokelau, a tiny Pacific territory of New Zealand located midway between New Zealand and Hawaii, earned the distinction of becoming the first country in the world to completely give up fossil fuels and become solely powered by solar energy. Tokelau now has a solar capacity equivalent to 150 per cent of its needs.
The New Zealand government, which had supported Tokelau in setting up its renewable energy systems, is now working with the European Union to help the Pacific nations of Tonga and the Cook Islands to develop their own solar power.
A natural fit
If solar power is appropriate for Pacific island nations for economic as well as environmental reasons, it is also a natural fit in South-East Asia.
Think of a decentralized and independent solar power supply system for each island in archipelagic nations like Indonesia and the Philippines, and for each region in Malaysia and Thailand. Think of not having to transport large quantities of fossil fuel to each of these islands, saving on shipping costs, not to mention the cost of the fossil fuel itself. Think of the cleaner environment in these islands without the carbon emissions from fossil fuel.
South-East Asia, however, has yet to live up to this potential because of uncertainty over regulations and muddled policies pertaining to the solar market. Solar power projects in the region depend on foreign investments. To encourage investments in solar power businesses, governments have to ensure favorable conditions. These policies have to be spelled out now.
The bright spot has been Thailand, which has established strong support programs for solar power. Data presented at the Solar Energy Southeast Asia conference in Bangkok a few months ago [December 2013] showed that Thailand’s solar market is booming.
The country leads the region in solar energy, with almost 700 megawatts expected to be installed in 2013, according to data from the US-based IHS Solar Research. In 2014, a further 754 megawatts of new capacity are set to be added.
Indonesian progress
Indonesia is also making progress on solar energy. Last month, the government tendered for firms to build as many as 80 solar power plants with a combined capacity of up to 140 megawatts, according to Rida Mulyana, the director-general for renewable energy in Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. “The solar plants’ construction will take about six months. Therefore, we will see the plants commence operation in the middle of 2014,” Antara news agency quoted Mulyana as saying.
Time to shine
It is time for the other countries in the South-East Asia and Pacific region to follow suit. The sun is there to be harnessed. The technologies are ready and there is ongoing global research to further improve on them.
In the meantime, business is raring to get involved if governments provide the right incentives. What remains to be spelled out are the ground rules from government, and for the political approval to give it a jumpstart.
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* Crispin C. Maslog, a former journalist, communication professor and environmental activist, now writes a science column for SciDev.Net, a London-based science communication website. This article has been produced by SciDev.Net’s South-East Asia & Pacific desk.
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