The Negros Island region has the potential to become a wholly renewable energy-powered region, a Greenpeace Philippines official said.
Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Reuben Muni said the region has a lot of opportunities in maximizing the use of solar rooftops.
“We believe that Negros can eventually become an entirely renewable region. If not totally solar, at least a combination of various green energy sources like wind and hydro,” Muni said at the Negros Clean Energy forum in Bacolod last week.
Negros Occidental currently has seven plants generating 341 megawatts (MW) in the area, the highest in the Philippines.
A current influx of solar power farms in the region caused transmission line congestion that contributed to interruptions, the Department of Energy (DOE) said.
“We have to understand that the problem with brownouts in the province is not an issue of generation, but rather an issue of transmission because according to solar experts we lag behind in transmission rehabilitation,” Muni said.
Active solar plants in Negros Region include the 59-MW San Carlos Sun Power Inc. in San Carlos City; the 132.5-MW Cadiz City farm, the largest in Southeast Asia; 25-MW Citicore power project in Silay City; 48-MW and 32-MW Negros Island Solar Power in Manapala and La Carlota, respectively; and the 45-MW San Carlos Solar Energy in San Carlos City.
The Negros Clean Energy Forum was an initiative of Greenpeace, the Climate Reality Project Philippines and the City of Bacolod.
