Renewable energy in PH still below global average

MANILA, Philippines — Despite the government’s aggressive renewable energy agenda, the Philippines still lags behind its global peers in tapping non-conventional sources of energy.

In a report, London-based global energy think tank Ember said the Philippines generated just 22 percent of its electricity from renewables in 2023, below the global average.

Data from the Department of Energy (DOE) showed that coal-fired power plants remained the leading source of energy in the country—accounting for 43.9 percent of the overall energy mix as of last year—despite higher contributions from other sources such as renewable energy.

READ: Coal-fired generators still Philippines’ top source of electricity

“The Philippines saw its power sector emissions nearly double in the last 10 years as rising demand was met with a more than doubling of coal power generation,” Ember said.

The report said the contribution of solar and wind to the Philippines’ electricity generation reached only 3.2 percent in 2023, substantially lower than the 13-percent share recorded by its neighbor Vietnam.

Globally, the renewable energy share in the global energy mix stood at 30.3 percent last year, up from 29.42 percent in 2022.

“A renewables-powered future is now becoming a reality. Solar power, in particular, is growing at an unprecedented pace,” Ember’s Asia program director Aditya Lolla said.

RE share to energy mix at 30.3%

Ember said renewables have expanded from only 19 percent in 2000, driven by solar and wind capacities. The two contributed 13.35 percent in 2023.

China was the main contributor, accounting for 51 percent of the additional global solar generation and 60 percent of new global wind generation.

“With record construction of solar and wind in 2023, a new era of falling fossil generation is imminent. [The year] 2023 was likely the pivot point, marking peak emissions in the power sector,” the report said.

Solar energy fueled the expansion of global power generation, according to Ember, as it added more than twice as much new electricity as coal in 2023.

READ: Going solar: The limitless power of the sun

Ember said solar retained its status as the world’s fastest-growing electricity source for the 19th consecutive year. It also surpassed wind to become the largest source of new electricity for the second straight year.

On the other hand, hydropower generation dropped to a five-year low, stalling plans of reducing global power sector emissions.

Nonetheless, Ember said 2024 would begin a new era of falling fossil generation.

“A permanent decline in fossil fuel use in the power sector at a global level is now inevitable, leading to falling sector emissions,” it added.

The government is targeting a 35 percent renewable energy share in the power generation mix by 2030, and then rising to 50 percent by 2040.