With the constantly rising prices of petroleum in the world market most countries especially the developing ones are looking for other sources whether its indigenous source from wind, sun or from plants for their energy requirements.
One remarkable achievement noted is the production of electric jeepneys, an environmentally friendly vehicle that could be an answer not only as an alternative source of energy but to global warming as well.
Most global economies are rushing to produce electric cars to replace the gas guzzlers and polluting units of gasoline or diesel run vehicles from their domestic or local transport.
In the near future, we can expect electric vehicles and buses (either powered by solar panels, biogas or battery rechargeable to their home electric sockets) to ply on thoroughfares and be the public transport of the future.
In the Philippines, electric jeepneys were introduced last 2007 by the Consortium of Green Renewable Independent Power Producers (Gripp). Solar Electric Company (Solarco), the exclusive distributor and marketer of electric automobiles from China is lending to the Philippines some units as part of their promotional campaign.
On the other hand, windmills are now being tested in northern Philippines (Ilocos Region) through a Canadian government grant with a private entity to supply the windmill, Solar and microhydro requirement of the country.
Gripp and Solarco have also put up three turbines in northern Philippines with a capacity of four hundred watts each. The project is able to power twenty one households. It is considered that it will be the next generation’s cheapest source of electricity..
A summit was held in China, where suppliers and financiers of wind power projects in Europe, the United States and Asia had put up their booths in order to promote their services to participants all over the world. Among the potential wind sites in the Philippines are the Bicol Region and the entire provinces of Negros.
In Laguna province (southern Tagalog region) the provincial government is planning to convert its street lights along the four lane around the Laguna lake area to solar energy to reduce the electric bill and spearhead the use of cleaner fuels.
The provincial government is finalizing agreements with Solarco to install and maintain the solar power systems. The 270 kilometer highway called Laguna Bay Area Rapid Transit was launched to help ease the traffic congestion in the province and interconnect the cities and towns of the province to each other.
In the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in southern Philippines, solar panels were tested by the Department of Energy and Mirant Philippines in selected areas.
Through the suppliers, Solarco, Shell Philippines and the USAID funded program (Alliance for Mindanao Off grid Renewable Energy), the Philippine government intends to energize the remotest barangay of Muslim Mindanao using either solar energy or microhydro systems.
