Climate resilience through renewable energy

As the climate crisis intensifies and with the Philippines among the countries highly vulnerable to its impact, local government units (LGU) are at the frontline of building climate-resilient communities. Yet integrating climate resilience remains a peripheral concern in many local development plans.

The challenge for newly elected officials is to bring transformative change through low hanging fruits such as renewable energy (RE). Indigenous renewable energy sources can provide affordable, reliable, and secure energy that Filipinos have long deserved. Its declining costs dismantle the outdated argument that RE is too expensive. Solar photovoltaic technology costs have dropped by 82 percent, from $378 to $68 per megawatt-hour. Adding just 3 percent more RE into the grid led to a 28 percent reduction in electricity rates, demonstrating that renewables are both sustainable and economically smart, and warrant being part of local energy strategies.

RE projects also generate financial benefits for host communities through the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 and Energy Regulation No. 1-94. These mechanisms allocate funds for electrification, livelihood, health, and environment enhancement—creating tangible local development outcomes and enhancing local communities’ well-being and resilience. Coal power plants, which dominate the country’s energy mix, have proven to be unreliable due to frequent unplanned outages that disrupt power supply.

The alternative is to shift from a power system centralized on large baseload coal power plants, towards a flexible and distributed power grid anchored on renewables. Having distributed energy resources allows for localized power generation during grid outages. By reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels and increasing the share of renewables in their energy mix, LGUs can foster local policies that accelerate RE deployment, stabilize energy supply, and shield the country from global price volatility or geopolitical tensions.

A common misconception that hinders renewable energy adoption is the belief that it requires large upfront investments, leading to implementation delays. In reality, small-scale RE installations are possible. In fact, renewable energy bridges energy access gaps in rural and underserved areas, empowering marginalized populations with reliable and affordable electricity while reducing reliance on diesel generators.

Solar energy presents an affordable option, providing immediate cost savings and improving public service delivery in communities. The towns of Guiuan, Eastern Samar and Paranas, Samar—which have recently powered their municipal buildings through solar—present an ideal example. They have demonstrated that with proper technical support and small-scale financing, renewable energy projects can be quickly implemented and scaled over time.

Renewable energy is not just about power, but about empowering people and communities. The Solar Scholars program of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities—where community members are trained to operate portable solar-powered systems—shows that when LGUs invest in local knowledge and capacity, communities actively participate and contribute to their own resilience.

Beyond power generation, the energy transition serves as the backbone of decarbonizing entire local economies—and this extends to the transport sector. We cannot afford to treat transport as a separate issue in the push for climate resilience, as it is regarded as one of the sources of emissions and urban air pollution. Integrating renewable energy into the transport sector to power electric vehicles and the public transport fleet, coupled with interconnected, multimodal, and safe transport options will efficiently move more people and goods, and ultimately, promote more comprehensive and resilient systems.

However, achieving this vision requires a systems change approach within the transport sector, with all stakeholders included in the process, leveraging technology as tools. Political will, coupled with strong intersectoral collaboration, is key to driving the success of the energy transition. LGUs are well-positioned to lead the shift by integrating renewable energy into their long-term development plans and climate strategies.

Sustained support and close coordination with the national government, civil society, private sector, and development partners are essential in enabling and scaling these efforts. Before us lies a no-regrets solution that is renewable energy that needs to be integrated into the Philippines’ development agenda beyond political terms. Local governments can empower self-reliant communities through affordable and accessible energy, paving the way towards a transition that is sustainable and equitable.

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Angelo Kairos dela Cruz is executive director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC), an organization that advances climate, energy, and low-carbon solutions to enable fair and climate-resilient development.