New officers of solar developers’ group named
By Jordeene Sheex Lagare – August 16, 2018
from The Manila Times
THE Confederation of Solar Developers of the Philippines (CSDP) recently inducted its new set of officers during an event held in Makati City.
Those inducted into CSDP’s board of trustees include Alberto Espiritu as chairman, Don Mario Dia as president, Felino Bernardo as vice president, Alex Coo as vice president alternative, Salvador Castro Jr. as treasurer, and Reynaldo Casas as secretary.
The group of solar developers also welcomed new members namely Carlos Gatmaitan, chairman of MRC Allied Inc.; Gary Espino, president of Pure Energy Holdings Corp.; Guido Alfredo Delgado, president of Emerging Power Inc.; and Mark Anthony Tagum, president of UPC Renewables Group.
In his acceptance speech, Espiritu, quoting the author of the “Crossing Over: The Energy Transition to Renewable Electricity,” which was published by a German foundation last year, said the Department of Energy’s (DoE) energy mix is technology neutral in favor of coal.
Espiritu pointed out that renewable energy is not yet integrated in the energy mix since the enactment of Republic Act 9513 or the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, because the department, he said, is “still in the process of… determining the eventual share of RE in the energy mix.”
In its 2017 Power Statistics report, the DoE said coal remains the country’s leading source of energy with an installed generating capacity of 8,049 megawatts (MW) last year, an 8.5-percent increase from 2016’s 7,419 MW.
Renewable energy (RE) rose 1.7 percent to 7,079 MW from 6,958 MW; oil, up 14.9 percent to 4,153 MW from 3,616 MW; and natural gas, up 3,447 MW from 3,431 MW.
Espiritu stressed that regulators should stop “demonizing” RE, specifically solar. “Stop paying only lip service to RE and emasculating the RE Act through half-hearted execution
of its enabling executions and recall of RE incentives.”
Quoting the same book author, Espiritu noted some instances of regulatory overreach, short-termism, and outdated mindset on the DoE, making the transition to RE taking too long.
During the induction event, Eric Francia, president and chief executive officer of AC Energy, discussed Solar Business Development in Asia Pacific while Jose Layug, former National Renewable Energy Board chairman and Puno & Puno Law Office partner, tackled Developers of Reenwable Energy Ambitions.
