Gov’t agencies, LGUs given 3-year deadline to meet 20% RE quota

THE Department of Energy (DoE) said government agencies and local government units (LGUs) have been given three years to meet a 20% quota for renewable energy (RE) in their power usage.

In a statement on Wednesday, the DoE cited a resolution promulgated on July 7 by the Inter-Agency Energy Efficiency and Conservation Committee setting the quota.

Acceptable RE sources include solar photovoltaic (PV) systems or any equivalent form of RE, which must be in place within three years.

Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla said greater RE use will help bring down power bills and free up funding for other government services, while shielding the Philippines from volatile prices of imported fuel.

RE adoption is a component of the Government Energy Management Program, which encourages government agencies to reduce monthly power consumption by about 10%.

A government entity that installs a solar PV system or any equivalent form of RE with a maximum capacity of 100 kilowatts (kW) will be eligible for a net-metering scheme with a distribution utility by becoming a qualified end-user (QE), the DoE said.

Net metering allows power users that generate their own electricity via RE to sell their excess power to the grid, credited against their power bills. The program is open to users with a capacity of up to 100 kW.

QEs are those that generate electricity from an eligible power source that can be connected to the grid, enabling a net-metering arrangement.

The DoE said its Energy Utilization Management Bureau will assist agencies with RE installation. — Ashley Erika O. Jose