The government should establish and implement policies that will provide renewable energy (RE) the push to make it available to the majority.
This was the message of Ganesh Pangare, regional director for Asia Pacific of the International Water Association (IWA) during the Water Philippines Expo held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on March 22 to 24.
”I think, there also has to be a policy angle in the terms that governments can’t just keep a blind eye that this is happening. I think, we do need more investment coming from the state. Some of the poorest of the poor don’t have energy…while the rich are getting subsidized fossil energy. That is the disparity that I am trying to highlight,” Pangare told the Philippine News Agency.
The main consumers of renewable energy are the private sector and individual entrepreneurs, he said.
Pangare added that a large pie of Asia does not enjoy 24/7 stable supply of power they can use on demand. And with solar technology and distribution generation, people in the rural areas will enjoy a continuous power supply.
“Renewable energy provides a fixed, assured energy source and, therefore, farmers can irrigate when the crop needs irrigation, and then the resource ground water is saved because they will be taking out only what they need and not pumping out and storing it and then just wasting it,” Pangare said.
He added that solar projects, with technological advancements, have become more affordable that even farmers with a small land could buy his own solar-power generator to water his farm.
To promote PV solar for households financing scheme has to be devised. The government should provide a guarantee mechanism so private banks will be willing to finance household PV solar. Government should also provide incentives i.e. Tax Credit for installing PV solar in existing and new homes and this can be equated to energy efficiency and as part of the drive for reducing carbon footprint (Climate Change Action Plan).