Amid the ongoing back-and-forth in Negros Occidental regarding renewable energy, Senator Ralph Recto put out a press release yesterday recommending expanded use of solar power for public buildings and projected the plan will reduce energy bills.
He claimed the government is currently consuming “at least P24 billion worth of electricity a year,” citing P12.6 billion of it originates from local governments.
“Kung ang buwanang electric bill mo ay dalawang bilyong piso, aba eh dapat humanap ka ng paraan para pababain yan (If your monthly electric bill is P2 billion, you should look for a way to bring it down),” he explained. “Tapping the sun for electricity in a tropical country is good economics, good for the environment, and good for education.”
“A five percent drop in the electric bill will result in P1.2 billion savings annually, an amount that can build more than 1,000 classrooms,” he added.
Former Negros Occidental third district Rep. Alfredo Benitez recently said Negros Occidental should look for an alternative source for its base power load necessities or “bite the bullet,” meaning to push through with the proposed San Carlos City coal-fired plant, which has faced opposition from environmental groups.
“Almost all countries [are] going in the direction of renewable energy to save the planet from climate change,” the outgoing congressman added. “If the province is thinking of using coal, other countries have signified that they will move to renewable energy but slowly and not overnight.”
Last month, former Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr. struck a similar cord, nothing, “If you look at Japan, they have already phased out coal plants and instead they changed it to biomass and other renewable types of energy.”
However, Japan is also home to 37 nuclear reactors with more still pending restarts, along with plans to construct new facilities in the future. In addition, according to a report in the Nikkei Asian Review last year, “Over 80 percent of Japan’s energy supply comes from fossil fuels.”
Benitez used Germany as an example, nothing, over the next 20 years they will move 100 percent to renewable energy.
According to World Nuclear Association, Germany is also home to 17 nuclear reactors./WDJ