My daughter, Kristianne, lives in a house that is widely solar-powered. She is one of the many who subscribe to solar energy, which is described as the most abundant renewable energy (RE) source in the country.
Wind, biomass, hydro, and geothermal energy are the other forms of RE that the country is abundant with. Of these, I am captivated by wind power—the windmills that convert the kinetic energy of the wind into mechanical energy, with all their blades always rotating in a clockwise direction.
Unlike Don Quixote, who believed that windmills are evil and ferocious giants, I, instead, am captivated. My fascination with windmills dates back to when I was a student taking up a subject on Quantum Physics that focuses on matter and energy at its most fundamental level.
With the roller coaster movement in the pump prices of petroleum products, which accounts for almost two-thirds of our energy source, some major banks—Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. and Bank of the Philippine Islands—have started reducing if not altogether veered away from bankrolling new coal projects, solar and wind powers are now the preference.
Harnessing wind power as an alternative source of energy is a positive step, especially at this time when each and every one of us has to contribute our share in reducing our carbon footprint to protect Mother Earth.
And with the growing social awareness of the extent of impairment of climate change, RE wave is making headway beyond being merely a key component of sustainability and environmental efforts.
Latest I heard from the banking corridors that development of offshore windmills would take a full step as the Department of Energy (DOE) just this month issued the Certificate of Confirmation of Commerciality (COCOC) to the first Offshore Wind Projects in the in the country, Triconti Windkraft Group’s (Triconti).
Accordingly, Triconti, a joint venture with Liechtenstein-based offshore wind specialist Sea Wind Holdings (Seawind) and Swiss renewable energy group Stream Invest Holding (Stream), can proceed with the construction of the RE Project or the installation of the RE facilities.
Research on its corporate profile showed that Triconti was the first firm to secure Offshore Wind Energy Service Contracts and has been the pioneer in the Philippine Offshore Wind Industry. It has achieved Green Lane Certification under Executive Order 18 and has been granted Energy Project of National Significance status by both the Board of Investments and the DOE, respectively.
Offshore wind farms have a higher power generation because wind blows stronger at the oceans and seas. It is different from onshore as its blades are longer and can generate a stable amount of energy due to the constant supply of wind out at sea. Onshore wind, on the other hand, is the one that blows from the sea towards the land.
The country potentially has 178 GW of Offshore Wind Energy. Despite this, research online revealed the country has about “75 offshore wind farm projects but none are currently operating, none where construction has progressed enough to connect the turbines and generate electricity, none are in the build phase and none are either consented or have applied for consent.”
With the country still a net importer of fossil fuels, the implementation of RE projects is crucial to us. And, this development signifies a full transition from preliminary feasibility studies to the operating phase of the wind energy service contract that encompasses detailed planning, construction, and production.
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