As of 2023, renewable energy sources accounted for about 22% of the Philippines' total installed electricity generation capacity, according to the Department of Energy. The Philippines remains a net importer of fossil fuels, which underscores the government's push to expand local renewable energy options. Available renewable resources include hydropower, geothermal power, wind power, solar power, and biomass power. The government has implemented a range of policies and targets aimed at increasing the contribution of renewables to the country's overall energy mix.
The Philippine government has committed to increasing the share of renewables to 50% of total installed power capacity by 2030, equivalent to about 15.3 gigawatts (GW). This target is aligned with the country's nationally determined contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 75% by 2030.
Background Philippine energy policy aims to reduce reliance on fossil fuels because of air pollution, climate risks, and exposure to volatile import prices.World Journal "See how climate change affects the Philippines" TIME Accessed 8 April 2016. Key statutes supporting renewable energy include the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (Republic Act No. 9136); the Biofuels Act of 2006 (RA 9367); the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 (RA 9513); and the Climate Change Act of 2009 (RA 9729).
Renewable energy implementation is important to the Philippines for several reasons.Latest renewable energies projects Reurasia.com 13 September 2016. The geographic characteristics of the country make it vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. Rising sea levels are a threat because the Philippines is an archipelago with many cities located in coastal areas. As the coastline recedes due to rising seas, coastal cities become vulnerable to flooding. Climate change has also been linked to changing weather patterns and extreme weather events.Verifying greenhouse gas emissions National Research Council Washington DC 2010 p vii – 36. .
Reliance on fossil fuels is detrimental to the energy security of the Philippines."Energy security" International Energy Agency. Accessed 8 April 2016. The Philippines is a net importer of fossil fuels. In 2012, the Philippines imported 20 million tons of coal. Eight million tons were produced domestically."Coal statistics" Department of Energy. Accessed 8 April 2016. In 2010, the Philippines imported 54 million barrels of oil and produced 33,000 barrels."Philippines crude oil production by year" Index Mundi website. Accessed 8 April 2016. Given this dependence on imported coal and oil, the Philippines is vulnerable to price fluctuations and supply constraints.Brahim S. "Renewable energy and energy security in the Philippines" in Energy Procedia.
The Philippine Department of Energy wrote:The harnessing and utilization of renewable energy comprises a critical component of the government's strategy to provide energy supply for the country. This is evident in the power sector where increased generation from geothermal and hydro resources has lessened the country's dependency on imported and polluting fuels. In the government's rural electrification efforts, on the other hand, renewable energy sources such as solar, micro-hydro, wind and biomass resources are seeing wide-scale use.Membrere L. "Renewable energy" Department of Energy. Accessed 8 April 2016.
Sources The Philippines utilizes renewable energy sources including hydropower, geothermal and solar energy, wind power and biomass resources. In 2013, these sources contributed 19,903 GWh of electrical energy, representing 26.44 percent of the country's electricity needs.Membrere L. "2013 Philippine power statistics" Accessed 8 April 2016. Among the renewable energy sources available in the country, geothermal shows to be the cheapest and most (economically) attractive energy source followed by wind, hydropower, and lastly, solar PV. + Renewable electricity production (GWh) by sourceYearGeothermalHydropowerBiomassSolarWindTotal renewablesTotal electricityRenewables % of electricity production20039,8227,87000017,69252,94133.42%200410,2828,59300018,87555,95733.73%20059,9028,387021718,30856,56832.36%200610,4659,939015320,45956,78436.03%200710,2158,563015818,83659,61231.60%200810,7239,834016120,62060,82133.90%200910,3249,8341416420,23761,93432.68%20109,9299,7882716219,80767,74329.24%20119,9427,80311518817,95069,17625.95%201210,25010,25218317520,76172,92228.47%20139,60510,01921216619,90375,26626.44%201410,3089,1371961715219,80977,26125.64%201511,0448,66536713974820,96382,41325.44%201611,0708,1117261,09797521,97990,79824.21%201710,2709,6111,0131,2011,09423,18994,37024.57%201810,4359,3841,1051,2491,15323,32699,76523.38%
Hydroelectric plants Hydropower is one of the main sources of renewable energy in the Philippines. There are hydroelectric plants of both the conventional dam and run-of-the-river types in the country. Of twenty-nine hydroelectric plants, fourteen are conventional dam and fifteen are run-of-the-river systems."List of existing plants (Luzon)" Department of Energy"List of existing plants (Visayas)" Department of Energy"List of existing plants (Mindanao) Department of Energy Hydropower accounts for 11.8% of the energy generation and 17-18% of installed capacity in the Philippines.
Many areas of the Philippines are suitable for hydroelectricity production."Hydropower" Department of Energy Accessed 8 April 2016 However, hydroelectricity production in the Philippines can cause upstream and downstream flooding during monsoonal weather and when excess water is released from dams."Release of Angat, Ipo dam water aggravates Bulacan floods" InterAksyon.com Accessed 8 April 2016. Hydropower integration also has the potential to disturb pre-existing natural ecosystems and cultures as well as cause land dispossession and community resettlement. The methods of using geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) to determine suitable sites for constructing hydroelectric plants do not tend to incorporate social or environmental considerations. In response to the construction of large scale hydroelectric infrastructure, opposition movements have arisen. Anti-dam organizations and protests may advocate for indigenous peoples, environmental conservation, anti-capitalism, or anti-imperialism. Vocal environmental human rights defenders have been red-tagged by the government or extrajudicially killed by the military or police. The rights, concerns, and political agency of indigenous peoples trying to protect their villages and sacred sites from being submerged have often been disregarded due to urban-centric economic development.
Incorporating small scale plants, especially micro-hydroelectric plants that have a capacity of less than 0.1 MW (100 kW), may mitigate adverse side effects and be a cost-effective way to bring electricity to rural and off-the-grid communities. Isolated mountain communities have seen improvements in education, community engagement, and economy due to improved lighting provided by micro-hydropower.
+ Hydropower output of the Philippines200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015Hydropower output (GWh)8,5938,3879,9398,5639,8349,7887,8039,69810,25210,0199,1378,665 Percentage change(2.40%)18.50%(13.84%)14.84%(0.47%)(20.28%)24.29%5.71%(2,27%)(8.80%)(5.45%)
+Major hydropower sitesFacility nameTypeInstalled capacity (MW)LocationOwnerYear commissionedSan RoqueDam 411.0PangasinanSan Roque Power Corporation 2003HEDCORRun-of-river 33.8BenguetHEDCOR 1993Kalayaan PSPPDam 739.2LagunaCBK Power Company Ltd. 1998/2004MagatRun-of-river 360.0IsabelaAboitiz Power 1983Caliraya Dam 35.0LagunaCBK Power Company Ltd. 1942/1947/1950BotocanRun-of-river 22.8LagunaCBK Power Company Ltd. 1967/1986AngatDam 246.0BulacanPSALM 1967/1986Pantabangan-MasiwayDam 132.0Nueva EcijaFirst Gen Hydro Power Corp. 1977/1981AmbuklaoDam 105.0BenguetAboitiz Power 1957BingaDam 132.0BenguetAboitiz Power 1960BakunRun-of-river 70.0Ilocos SurLuzon Hydro Corp. 2000/2001CasecnanDam 165.0Nueva EcijaCE Casecnan Water & Energy Co. 2002SabanganRun-of-river 13.2Mt. ProvinceHEDCOR 2015NIA-BaligtanRun-of-river 6.0IsabelaNIA 1987JANOPOLRun-of-river 5.2BoholBOHECO I 1992AGUS 1Dam 80.0Lanao del SurPSALM 1992AGUS 2Dam 180.0Lanao del SurPSALM 1992AGUS 4Dam 55.0Lanao del NortePSALM 1985AGUS 5Dam 200.0Lanao del NortePSALM 1985AGUS 6Dam 54.0Lanao del NortePSALM 1953/1971AGUS 7Dam 255.0Lanao del NortePSALM 1983Pulangi IVRun-of-river 232.0BukidnonPSALM 1985/1986Sibulan HEPRun-of-river 42.6Davao del SurHEDCOR 2010AgusanRun-of-river 1.6BukidnonFG Bukidnon Power Corp. 1957BubunawanRun-of-river 7.0BukidnonBPC Inc. 2001Cabulig HEPRun-of-river 9.2Misamis OrientalMindanao Energy Systems 2012Talomo HEPRun-of-river 4.5Davao del SurHEDCOR 1998Tudaya 1Run-of-river 6.6Davao del SurHEDCOR 2014Tudaya 2Run-of-river 7.0Davao del SurHEDCOR 2014
Geothermal power
In the Philippines, geothermal energy is used to generate electricity. Two types of technologies are used in the Philippines. These are firstly, the higher temperature flash steam method and secondly, the lower temperature binary cycle method."Geothermal power and electricity production" Renewable energy world website. Accessed 8 April 2016. In the Philippines, the first is the more common. The second is used only at the MAKBAN plant. Geothermal plants are suitable for areas with low winds, such as Mindanao, and areas that have rainy weather, such as Batanes. Geothermal energy production can result in the release of toxic substances such as mercury, hydrogen sulfide, arsenic and selenium."Geothermal energy" National Geographic Society 20 November 2012. Accessed 8 April 2016. In 2014, at a geothermal plant in Biliran, eight plant workers were hospitalized with hydrogen sulphide poisoning."At Biliran geothermal project eight workers hurt in gas poisoning" philstar.com 22 June 2014. Accessed 8 April 2016.
+ Geothermal energy output200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015 Geothermal power output (GWh)10,2829,90210,46510,21510,72310,3249,9299,94210,2509,60510,30811,044 Percentage change(3.70%)5.69%2.39%4.97%(3.72%)(3.83%)(0.13%)3.10%(6.29%)7.32%7.14%
+Major geothermal sitesFacility nameTypeInstalled capacity (MW)LocationOwnerYear commissionedMAKBANFlash/binary 442.8LagunaAP Renewable Inc. 1979BACMANFlash 130.0SorsogonBac-Man Geothermal Inc. 1993TiwiFlash 234.0AlbayAP Renewable Inc. 1979MANITO-LowlandFlash 1.5AlbayBac-Man Geothermal Inc. No dateMAIBARARAFlash 20.0BatangasMaibarara Geothermal Inc. 2014Palinpinon GPPFlash 192.5Negros OrientalGreen Core Energy 1983LeyteFlash 112.5LeyteGreen Core Energy 1983Unified LeyteFlash 610.2LeyteEnergy Development Corp. 1996/1997Nasulo GPPFlash 50.0Negros OccidentalEnergy Development Corp. 2014Mt. ApoFlash 103.0North CotabatoEnergy Development Corp. 1996
Solar power
The Philippines receives some of the highest levels of solar irradiance in Southeast Asia, with average daily values reaching over 7 kWh/m2 in April and around 3 kWh/m2 in December, based on measurements in 33 cities nationwide.
In 2019, solar power accounted for about 1.2% of the country's total installed generation capacity of 23 GW. Government projections indicate that solar could reach at least 3.5% of a forecast 43 GW by 2040. In 2019, a 2.16 MWp commercial rooftop solar project in Calamba, Laguna, developed by PROINSO and Solaren Renewable Energy Solutions, was awarded the Asian Power Awards "Solar Power Project of the Year".
By the end of 2024, Department of Energy data recorded 2,312 MW of installed solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity, driven by both utility-scale facilities and distributed systems in the commercial and residential sectors. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) reported 1.7 GW of capacity earlier in the year, reflecting continuing growth in the sector.