PUBLICATIONS

BRACING FOR CLIMATE IMPACT: Renewables as a climate change adaptation strategy. 2021.  Jeong, J.; Ko, H.  International Renewable Energy Agency, Abu Dhabi. ISBN: 978-92-9260-351-9. <Read here> The publication presents how renewable energy can significantly contribute to climate change adaptattion - through the implementation of energy-intensive adaptation solutions like air conditioning, desalination, and irrigation, while having net-zero emissions; and distribution of renewable energy solutions can create a resilient energy system and provide support to more vulnerable communities. In order to achieve this, it was identified that a cross-sectoral approach based on the best available science and an integration of renewable energy technology in existing policies is necessary for proper climate change adaptation. 

Renewable Energy Benefits: Leveraging Local Capacity for Solar Water Heaters. 2021. IRENA. International Renewable Energy Agency, Abu Dhabi. ISBN: 978-92-9260-343-4.  <Read Here> It has been identified that 30-50% of global energy consumption goes into the heating and cooling sectors, and thus the development of renewable energy sourced technology in this field can help address climate goals, environmental protection, and a proper transition into renewable energy. However, it is just as important to ensure that policies support this transition through proper cost-competitiveness of these systems through financial and fiscal incentives. Information dissemination and consumer awareness also plays a big role in pushing for such development.

Offshore Renewables: An action agenda for deployment. 2021. IRENA. International Renewable Energy Agency, Abu Dhabi. ISBN: 978-92-9260-349-6. <Read Here> In order to transform the energy sector into a sustainable future, it is mandatory for a shift into renewable energy sources. A big source of this renewable energy is the ocean, which can be utilized through offshore wind, floating solar photovoltaics, and other developing energy technologies. Major considerations for these technologies lie within the observance of ocean governance and the further development of marine spatial planning. Furthermore, it is imperative for information to be disseminated to the public to foster cooperation in this renewable transition.

Reaching Zero with Renewables: Biojet Fuels. 2021. IRENA. International Renewable Energy Agency, Abu Dhabi. ISBN: 978-92-9260-350-2. <Read Here> The aviation sector contributes 2% of the global CO2 emissions and 12% of transport emissions, which opens up great opportunities in decarbonization. The best course of action identified in the transition of the aviation sector is through the production and utilization of biojet fuel blends certified by the ASTM alongside proper policy backing.

Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2020. 2021. IRENA. International Renewable Energy Agency, Abu Dhabi. ISBN: 978-92-9260-348-9 <Read Here> Despite the global pandemic of 2020, the renewable industry proves to be a more resilient sector with a decrease from 2019’s USD 0.045/kWh to USD 0.039/kWh. Observing the trend from 2010 to 2020, it can be observed that the renewable energy department shifts from an optional expensive niche into a competitor to traditional fossil fuels. Furthermore, the decreasing cost and increasing competitiveness confirms the major role renewable energy has in the future and the role of proper policy backing and incentives in the development of renewable energy.

Tracking the Impacts of Innovation: Offshore Wind as a Case Study. 2021. IRENA. International Renewable Energy Agency, Abu Dhabi. ISBN: 978-92-9260-347-2. <Read Here> It is well known that clean energy development research is essential in the transition to renewable energy and this is only achievable with strong government policy support. Specifically, offshore wind has been proven to be one of the fastests-growing renewable power markets. Further developments in the field of wind energy alongside decrease in cost pushes for further development. It is important, however, to take note of the delay of developing and installing such technology in the impact of renewable energy on the grid.

Policy Directions of Renewable Energy (RE) in the Philippines: The Making of a Capable State. Virginia A. Teodio. Philippine Journal of Labor and Industrial Relations. Vol 31, No 1&2 (2011). UP School of Labor and Industrial Relations, University of the Philippines, Philippines. <Read Here> Renewable energy is a vitally important policy, and the earliest demand for reforms in the energy sector was given expression by the dynamic civil society in this country. Civil society’s concrete experience of democratic self-administration has ensured a program with a fundamental legal and regulatory framework grounded in a set of institutional reforms. In deciding upon what is to be done, every effort was made to promote an energy reform agenda by securing coordinated cooperation. A related advantage of drawing stakeholders into the advocacy process is that it can develop local enthusiasm for getting the law implemented more rapidly. A capable state has provided society with responsible officials knowledgeable in public preferences and priorities. Further, the evolutionary endpoint of the policies on renewable energy is a collective economic order defined by a plurality of citizen and state engagements.

Projector Powerplant System For Low-Enthalpy Geothermal Heat Sources In The Philippines. Menandro S. Berana. Philippine Engineering Journal. Vol 35, No 2 (2014). UP National Engineering Center, University of the Philippines, Philippines. <Read Here> An ejector is a component which converts the available change in kinetic energy from a high pressure and/or high temperature and low velocity state to a low pressure and temperature but high velocity state into recompression energy that can be utilized for improvement in efficiency of a system. In the field of refrigeration and air conditioning, it is used to reduce the required compressor power in a vapor compression system or to aid in compression together with a heat source in a heat-driven cooling system. In our previous studies, a noble incorporation of the ejector into the organic Rankine cycle (ORC) has been established to obtain dramatically improved efficiency in using the modified ORC. This improvement is realized in the resulting ejector powerplant system by using the high-pressure liquid in the separator located after the evaporator in the conventional ORC that is just pumped back to the evaporator.

Mapping Of Sustainability In Architectural Practices In The Philippines. Geza Fischl, Gloria B. Teodoro. Muhon: A Journal Of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, And The Designed Environment. Issue Number 5 (2016). UP College of Architecture, University of the Philippines, Philippines. <Read Here> The awareness in architectural sustainability is increasing worldwide. This pilot study aims to map and evaluate the situation of sustainable development of architecture offices in the Philippines through an online survey. In spite of sampling difficulties, the mapping of sustainability was successfully done for the collected sample, and results showed that architects evaluate themselves as having less than intermediate level of knowledge/skill in sustainability issues. Furthermore, they have a general concept about natural (renewable), energy efficient and sustainable products and services. Difficulties with application of sustainability are due to a client’s budget and will. It is widely accepted that the individual companies suffer from lack of resources and therefore perform weaker in sustainability than the profession would require. Introduction of the morphological analysis of sustainable development (morph-SD) tool indicated that architects are mainly familiar with environmental related principle-level sustainability-oriented terms, while the economic and social aspects of sustainable development are not significantly represented. Confirmation of findings and further development of the morph-SD tool would require a comprehensive geographic sampling.

Emissions from Refined Coconut Oil Ethyl Ester-Diesel Blends – A Preliminary Study. Emmanuel Ferrer, Annaliza Rollon, Edwin Quiros. Philippine Engineering Journal. Vol 40, No 2 (2019). UP National Engineering Center, University of the Philippines, Philippines. <Read Here> The study describes the production of ethyl ester biodiesel from refined coconut oil. It aimed to replace the toxic methanol by a renewable and relatively safe ethanol and to determine whether the product properties conform to Philippine National Standard (PNS) specifications for B100 fatty acid methyl ester biodiesel. Emission characteristics of the biodiesel were also studied using a single-cylinder engine generator set fueled with neat diesel, B1, B2, and B5 biodiesel blends, at 61%, 77%, and 93% electrical loads, which are low, medium, and high load respectively. Successful conversion via base-catalyzed transesterification was carried at process conditions of 1% (weight to oil) KOH catalyst, 59% excess ethanol, 1.5 hours reaction time and ambient temperature at mixer setting of about 4500 rpm with a yield of 93.64% ester. Several properties of the produced coconut ethyl ester conformed to PNS specifications with the exception of cetane index, acid value, water content, and total glycerine content. The calculated cetane index was 46.327 which is close to US and Brazil standards for cetane number. Emission tests revealed that the B1 blend had the optimal emission characteristics with most of the parameters while B2 blend had the most significant decrease in CO emission. B1 reduced CO2 emission by 8%, NOx at 7% and THC by 2.5% at high load when compared to base petro diesel. B2 blend reduced CO emission significantly by 46% at low load and 22% at medium load when compared to base petro diesel. The remaining B2 and B5 blends had an average increase of about 10% and 16% NOx emissions respectively, a typical characteristic for most biodiesels.

Estimation Of Emissions And Fuel Consumption Of Sustainable Transport Measures In Metro Manila. Karl B.N. Vergel, Noriel Christopher C. Tiglao. Philippine Engineering Journal. Vol 34, No 1 (2013). UP National Engineering Center, University of the Philippines, Philippines. <Read Here> Environmentally sustainable transport (EST) strategy measures for Metropolitan Manila are assessed in terms of reduction in emissions and fuel. Measures include vehicle inspection, engine replacement, use of alternative fuels and biofuels, non-motorized transport, travel demand management and improvement of public transportation. Travel activity in terms of traffic volume and travel speeds of the travel demand forecast model estimates and the database of the 1996 Metro Manila Urban Transportation Integration Study (MMUTIS), emission factors from the Vehicular Emission Control Planning (VECP) project and fuel consumption factors from MMUTIS and recent studies on jeepneys and buses are utilized to generate the baseline emissions of criteria pollutants (HC, CO, NO2, PM and SO2) and fuel consumption (diesel, gasoline, alternative fuel/biofuel) in 2010 and 2015. Local emissions and fuel consumption are estimated for each strategy measure and compared with respect to the baseline values. Measures such as implementation of vehicle inspection, mass transit network expansion and travel demand management contributed to higher overall local emission reductions while the switch to CNG buses, mass transit network expansion and travel demand management measures resulted to significant reduction in fossil fuel consumption.

Development Of An Urban Concept Hybrid Vehicle. Gerald Jo C. Denoga, Juvy A. Balbarona, Tito N. Eusebio Jr. Philippine Engineering Journal. Vol 32, No 1 (2011). UP National Engineering Center, University of the Philippines, Philippines. <Read Here> The research is about the development of a diesel hybrid vehicle. A small concept car was prototyped aimed at achieving high fuel mileage while still satisfying other consumer needs like speed, aesthetics, safety, usability and comfort. The design is comprehensive, including lightweight chassis design, aerodynamic shell design, calculated passenger safety, and optimized power generation. Aerodynamic design was done to provide input to the power requirements. The drive train is based on a series hybrid system, using a single cylinder diesel engine, as electric DC generator, a motor and a super capacitor. The key feature of the drive train is the control system that ensures a fixed power draw from the engine corresponding to the load and speed of the diesel engine at optimum brake specific fuel consumption.

Use Of Coconut Fiber For Particle Enlargement Of Particulate Matter In Diesel Exhaust. Noel S. S. Gerente, Genandrialine L. Peralta, Michael G. Schnitzlein. Philippine Engineering Journal. Vol 32, No 1 (2011). UP National Engineering Center, University of the Philippines, Philippines <Read Here> This study focuses on the problem of agglomeration of ultra-fine PM using a renewable fiber matrix. It is a feasibility study to use coir fiber matrix to induce significant particle coagulation to sizes well above 1 μm. A housing was designed and fabricated with an approximate matrix volume of 13 liters which corresponded to 200-400 layers of coconut fiber in flow direction. A standardized glass filter was used to capture the particle fraction PM 2.5 out of the exhaust with a custom-made dilution channel. The study shows significant deposition and agglomeration of particulate matter from diesel exhaust.

Renewable energy statistics 2021. IRENA. International Renewable Energy Agency, Abu Dhabi. <Download> Renewable Energy Statistics 2021 provides data sets on power-generation capacity for 2011-2020, actual power generation for 2011-2019 and renewable energy balances for over 130 countries and areas for 2018-2019.

Electricity-Sector Opportunity in the Philippines The Case for Wind- and Solar-Powered Small Island Grids .  Sara Jane Ahmed and Jose Logarta Jr. Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.  Published online http://www.ieefa.org. May 2017. <Read Here> The paper describes how small islands in the Philippines can modernize outdated power generation systems that currently rely on imported diesel fuel and how solar- and wind-powered grids on these islands can supply affordable, reliable, more efficient, more secure, and cleaner power. .. It suggests that a reasonably swift transition to renewable energy is feasible across these islands and that it can be driven largely by market forces that support modernization and savings through advances in renewable energy and storage . The core policy question posed here is how the national government can speed this transition through the adoption of appropriate forward-looking policy and oversight. 

Renewable Energy to Responsible Energy: A Call to Action Report, launched on 26 January 2024 in Pasig City, Philippines by the Responsible Energy Initiative Philippines Consortium -  Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, Oxfam Pilipinas, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Philippines, Center for Empowerment, iNnovation and Training on Renewable Energy, Forum for the Future, and Business and Human Rights Resource Center. The report outlines the energy transition in the Philippines, providing an overview of existing or upcoming ecological and social impacts arising from utility-scale RE production and deployment (specifically solar, floating solar, onshore and offshore wind, energy storage systems and small and mini hydro), and the existing measures and opportunities to govern, manage and mitigate these impacts.  The completion of Report was made possible with the support of Tara Foundation.  Read full report. Read the Executive Summary.