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Renewable Energy that are Being Utilized in the Philippines

This article features the renewable energy that we utilize in the Philippines. Renewable energy are generated from natural processes that cannot be exhausted and constantly renewed, such as wind, water, sunlight, and geothermal heat.


Renewable Energy that are Being Utilized in the Philippines

 

Wind energy can be harnessed by installing wind turbines mounted on a tower in an open area where wind is intense. Each commercial-scale turbine blade is around 52 meters long in a tower that is at least 82 meters tall. The huge rotating blades produced wind energy which converts to mechanical energy. These must be built close together to form a wind plant that could generate enough power to supply consumers. In the Philippines, wind turbines are present in the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Rizal, Mindoro and Guimaras.


Hydropower, also known as hydroelectric power, is generated by harnessing the natural energy of flowing water and converting it into mechanical energy using hydraulic turbines. In the Philippines, the most common hydropower system is set up in dams that store river water in reservoirs. These dams, often placed in remote locations, hold water to help both control flooding and withstand periodic droughts. When water is released, the turbines turn and spin, generating electricity that is distributed through transmission lines for domestic and industrial use. 


Renewable Energy that are Being Utilized in the Philippines


Solar energy is derived from the light and heat of the sun. The amount of solar energy received by an area depends on the time of day, the weather condition, the season of the year, and its distance from the Earth’s equator. Hence, solar panels are placed in strategic areas where maximum amount of solar energy can be captured. In the Philippines, solar farms are found in the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Pampanga, Bataan, Cebu, Negros Occidental, and Zamboanga.  


Geothermal (from Greek geo, meaning earth, and thermos, meaning heat) energy comes from the heat of the earth. The heat source is called magma, which comes close to the Earth’s surface in some places and can be harnessed in the form of steam. It can be likened to a covered pot filled with water, which will boil and produce steam when heated. Four elements compose a geothermal system: the heat source, which is the magma; an underground rock reservoir which can hold or store water; water, which serve as the medium carrying heat; and a solid cap rock which maintains pressure and does not allow heat, water or steam to escape. Volcanic countries mostly found around the Pacific Ring of Fire, like the Philippines, have geothermal energy to tap. 


National Museum of Natural History Philippines




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Credits:

Text and image by NMP Geology and Paleontology Division

© National Museum of the Philippines (2021)

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