ElectriPHI Program publishes a Smart Cities Review on the Renewable Energy Electrification for Philippine Off-grid Islands

Mecaelah Palaganas • July 1, 2024
The ElectriPHI Program has recently published a review titled “Off-Grid Electrification Using Renewable Energy in the Philippines: A Comprehensive Review”. The publication was a collaboration among the science research specialists – Engr. Arizeo Salac, Mr. Jairus Dameanne Somera, and project staff - Asst. Prof. Michael Castro, Dr. Maricor Divinagracia-Luzadas, Prof. Louis Angelo Danao, and Prof. Joey Ocon. The review article was published in MPDI’s Smart Cities Journal on April 26, 2024. 

The article discusses challenges in electrifying remote off-grid areas, like those in the Philippines, where many regions have limited electricity access due to reliance on diesel power plants (DPPs). Hybrid renewable energy systems (HRESs) are proposed as alternatives but face gaps in holistic study. A review of articles from 2012 to 2023 reveals a saturation of technical and economic studies on off-grid electrification, while environmental and socio-political factors are less explored. The study emphasizes the need for more comprehensive approaches integrating these factors for effective off-grid electrification in the Philippines, highlighting a gap that future research should address.

You may access the article here: https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities7030043
The authors would like to acknowledge the “ElectriPHI: Systematic, Multi-disciplinary, and Data driven Electrification Planning in Off-Grid Islands” program (IntensiPHI project) funded through the Emerging Interdisciplinary Research Program (OVPAA-EIDR-C09-01) of the University of the Philippines Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (UP OVPAA) and the CIPHER Project (IIID 2018-008) funded by The Commission on Higher Education–Philippine California Advanced Research Institutes.

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