DOE seeks US aid for offshore wind, floating solar sites

By Alena Mae S. Flores – October 5, 2023, 8:50 pm
from manilastandard.net

The Department of Energy (DOE) said it plans to identify competitive RE zones (CREZ) for new technologies such as floating solar, offshore wind and tidal projects in partnership with the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

A CREZ is a geographic area with high concentrations of cost-effective RE and strong developer interest.

DOE assistant undersecretary Mylene Capongcol said the first phase of CREZ did not include renewable energy (RE) projects in bodies of water.

“In CREZ 2, hopefully USAID will support the grant, because we do not have the budget for that. It will include bodies of water like floating solar, offshore wind and possibly tidal,” Capongcol said.

She said DOE sent its official request to the USAID for an initial meeting on scope of work and timeline.

The DOE established the CREZ 1 in partnership with the USAID and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

DOE undersecretary Rowena Guevara said CREZ 1 identified 25 strategic areas in the country with the highest concentration of wind and solar resources.

“Initial results have indicated that the Philippines has a total potential capacity of 58,110 megawatts (MW) solar PV and 93,987 MW wind energy,” she said.

Guevara said that by establishing CREZ, the DOE identified locations where transmission operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) should develop transmission capacity and where RE developers should locate their projects.

“Other RE zones for geothermal hydropower and biomass development were identified with a total potential capacity of 655,773 MW all over the country,” Guevara said.