Philippines logs ‘policy surge’ in renewables

The Philippines saw a “policy surge” that backs the expansion of renewable energy amid the Middle East war, lunging ahead of other Southeast Asian countries, according to a study.

Zero Carbon Analytics (ZCA), an international climate and energy research organization based in Belgium, said the Philippines adopted 13 renewable energy policies between February and August of this year.

During that period, ZCA logged 37 clean energy policies across the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. That number even surpassed the total of 29 fossil fuel policies that these other markets passed.

The rules cover several measures supporting clean power’s growth, including expanding solar infrastructure and electric vehicles to direct renewable power purchases.

“Our latest research signals a gear shift in Southeast Asia’s energy transition. Since the outbreak of the war, long-term clean energy policies have outweighed fossil fuel initiatives, and they are being translated into real action,” Amy Kong, senior energy transition researcher at Zero Carbon Analytics, said in a statement.

“The Philippines, leading with the most clean policies, imported more than double the solar technology from China in the first five months of the war compared to the same period last year,” she added.

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Among the local policies cited was the proposed Sariling Kuryente Act, which seeks to accelerate the adoption of rooftop solar systems and battery storage.

The Department of Energy is likewise requiring power plant developers to equip their renewable assets with energy storage systems.