ElectriPHI Program publishes an Energy Strategy Paper on 100% Transition Pathways for 208 Mini-grid Islands in the Philippines

The ElectriPHI Program has recently published an article titled “Transition pathways to 100 % renewable energy in 208 island mini-grids in the Philippines”. The publication was a collaboration among the project staff - Asst. Prof. Michael Castro, Prof. Joey Ocon and a collaborator from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Academy Dr. Laurence L. Delina. The article was published in Elsevier’s Journal of Energy Strategy Reviews on February 2, 2024.

The article examines transitioning Philippine off-grid island mini-grids to 100% renewable energy (RE) by 2050, facing challenges due to high initial costs of RE technologies. The authors propose a gradual RE adoption to manage costs, leveraging expected technology cost reductions. They model the shift using data from 208 mini-grids, advocating gradual adoption to minimize economic impacts. Market dynamics alone may not achieve 100% RE penetration; alternative scenarios like biodiesel integration or accepting some unmet load are explored. Challenges include intermittent RE technology and the affordability-reliability-sustainability tradeoff. Despite hurdles, a 100% RE transition is deemed feasible, emphasizing strategic planning for sustainable, reliable energy systems.

You may access the article here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2024.101315

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The authors would like to acknowledge the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Academy of Interdisciplinary Studies’ Support Fund for Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration, ElectriPHI Program funded by the University of the Philippines Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs Emerging Inter-Disciplinary Research Grant, and the CIPHER Project (IIID 2018- 008) funded by The Commission on Higher Education – Philippine California Advanced Research Institutes (currently CHED-LAKAS Program).

Article by: Arizeo Salac