The United Nations, particularly the United Nations Environment Program, or UNEP, has recently stated that the Philippines, and other developing countries in the world may greatly benefit at tapping resources on marine-based renewable energy sources. In UNEP’s report, Green Economy in a Blue World, oil-importing countries that invests on renewable energy sources such as marine, can lead to a nationwide (national and regional) boost on energy security. The benefit of using an alternative energy source can also potentially lead to other positive factors, such as a country’s food and water security.
The report has also stressed the importance of investing in the research and development of the chosen renewable energy source. This in turn may lead into a more sustainable push and possible involvement of more technological advancements. Also, proper planning and regulations is needed to further push renewable energy progress in a country, and as well incite and involve private sectors to contribute and profit. A known and common strategy for this is the inclusion of feed-in tariffs (FIT), which has been shown to be a beneficial factor in pro-clean countries worldwide.
The Philippines’ Department of Energy (DOE) has currently no final figure for FITs. The DOE has noted, though, that the figure/s is being computed, and will be released sometime this year. Also, the country’s government has recently seen a resurgence on renewable energy, particularly with the current administration’s interest on setting up an open access policy.
