Prof. Joey D. Ocon addressed the plenary session for the ERDT/AEESEAP/ICSEE Joint Conference on October 18, 2017 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino, Lahug, Cebu City. The address was entitled “Dawn of the Age of Giant Batteries: Energy Storage for Renewable Energy Integration”. This talk focused on the current state of battery technology for grid-level storage, with particular emphasis on its possible application for the Philippine context, particularly for off-grid island areas. A holistic approach for presentation was utilized, starting from an exploration of the development of the battery, to different battery chemistries and modes of utilization and finally to current market or industry situation.
The information presented was then contextualized for small island off-grid areas in the Philippines under NPC-Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG), especially towards the economic feasibility of using grid-level battery storage in the energy mix of these islands in conjunction with renewable energy sources to reduce energy costs. A reduction of energy costs in the islands is also significant in the wider scale by allowing for the reduction of the Universal Charge on Missionary Electrification (UCME). The UCME is essentially a transfer subsidy paid by consumers outside the off-grid areas to subsidize the electricity cost for the off-grid areas. This implies that not only is there a local economic benefit towards the lowering of energy cost in this area but also boon towards the national economy particularly for consumers.
The talk was concluded with an introduction to various other research activities conducted by the Laboratory of Electrochemical Engineering (LEE) and to its members. This is not only to merely inform the audience about these activities but also to spur collaboration with other interested researchers and stakeholders.