Renewable Energy Congress 2021

REfocus in 2022 and Beyond: Meeting RE targets for Sustainable Recovery and Development 

The Renewable Energy (RE) Congress 2021 held on September 25, 2021 and linked events – Deep Dive Sessions -on September 17 and 18, 2021 – focused on the national and local context of renewable energy. 

The Foundation for a Sustainable Society, Inc. (FSSI), with One Renewable Energy Enterprise Inc. (OREEi) and the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC), co-organized the second Deep Dive Session, “Practical Application of Renewable Energy (RE) for Communities,” on September 17.

The half-day plenary session during the congress proper on September 25 delved into the overarching concern on accelerating RE deployment towards meeting the 35% RE target. 

Meanwhile, discussions in the Deep Dive Sessions were on the practical level, concrete solutions in making RE a reality and addressing concerns on energy access, energy efficiency, support for jobs and livelihoods, and/or delivery of services. 

Deep Dive session on Distributed Energy Resources (DER) 

DER refers to RE units or systems that are commonly located at houses or business that provide them with power. It is a faster, less expensive option to the construction of large, central power plants, and high voltage transmission lines. It provides the consumer with greater reliability, adequate power quality, and the possibility to participate in competitive electric power markets. 

The Deep Dive Session on DER focused on the following areas: the technology needed to accelerate DER deployment, how to attract DER Financing from the financial market, and what are the gaps in the current Government Regulations which need to be addressed to not impede the growth of DER in the country. 

Deep Dive Session on Application of Renewable Energy for Communities 

The Deep Dive Session on Application of Renewable Energy for Communities was a sharing of experiences and lessons in the application of renewable energy technologies for production activities, social services, and humanitarian response including disaster response and risk reduction. 

Deep Dive Session on RE Innovations for Off-grid and Energy Poor Areas 

This session showcased the good practices and learnings of CentRE members and partners in deploying renewable energy in off-grid areas and energy poor communities. 

The RE Congress is a project of the Center for Empowerment, iNnovation and Training on Renewable Energy (CENTRE) and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung-Philippines.