By CESAR JOLITO III

Former Negros Occidental governor and provincial energy and environment consultant Rafael “Lito” Coscolluela said expanding renewable energy (RE) access to small communities is a key part of the province’s long-term strategy.

Despite the province’s ambition to eventually rely entirely on renewable energy, Coscolluela acknowledged that reaching 100 percent remains challenging.

“Target is 100 percent to use renewable energy, but it’s not realistic at this time,” he said, noting that while the province has the potential to meet its energy needs through renewables, integration into existing contracts with power distributors remains a key hurdle.

He explained that many renewable sources, such as solar and biomass, are intermittent or seasonal and cannot yet fully serve as baseload power.

To address this, the province must invest in energy storage systems to stabilize supply and make renewable energy competitive with traditional sources.

Coscolluela said the transition will likely be gradual, with non-renewable energy contracts phased out over time and replaced by locally sourced renewable energy as systems improve.

Coscolluela revealed that savings from solarizing major provincial government buildings — including the capitol — have reached around 50 percent in electricity costs.

These savings, he said, could be redirected to fund solar installations in smaller communities to provide basic electricity services.

Coscolluela added that a proposed ordinance strengthening the Provincial Energy Program is in the pipeline, with provisions specifically focused on renewable energy.

This includes the “RECREATE Negros” initiative, which aims to scale clean energy solutions at the community level.

“If the ordinance is in place, regardless of who the next governor is, the program will continue,” he said, stressing the importance of institutionalizing the transition beyond current leadership./CJ, WDJ