The Department of Energy (DOE) in collaboration with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) held a forum on Alternative Fuels and Emerging Technologies (AFET) in Cebu. The forum was attended by heads of transport groups in the area, officials, and representatives from Toledo City local government unit (LGU) and nearby LGUs with the pursuit of improving the country’s energy security as well as to contribute in mitigating the adverse environmental effects of energy utilisation.

One of the resource persons, DOE Senior Science Research Specialist Jorge Vincent Bitoon, said that in line with the government’s long-term goal to reduce the oil import under the alternative fuels programme, DOE is embarking an aggressive promotion campaign on the use of AFET, including Autogas.

“There are 9.2 million registered vehicles and we need to scout for alternative fuels that are cheaper and to maximise technology to make it more sustainable,” said Bitoon. He mentioned the various initiatives of the AFET Programme for the transport sector which are now ongoing, including the LPG in public utility vehicles (PUV), the Tricycle Modernisation Programme (TMP), and the Introduction of the Next Generation Vehicles.

“The transportation sector consumes the biggest chunk of the country’s energy requirement at 35 percent followed by the household/residential sector at 26 percent and industry at 23 percent,” Bitoon said.

As for DOE’s initiatives for the promotion of emerging energy technologies, Bitoon added that the ongoing programmes of DOE are the Promotion of Emerging Energy Technologies for Agricultural, Household, Industrial & Commercial Applications and the Partnership with State Universities, DOST and other Research Institutions.

In the same forum, DOE Senior Science Research Specialist Roselle Ibuna discussed the financing of the commercialisation of emerging energy technologies. She also shared about achieving energy security while meeting environmental challenges through the utilisation of alternative fuels and emerging energy technologies like Autogas taxis and jeepneys.

“On financing the commercialisation of emerging energy technologies, it is the government who is the first adopter. As government, we are the first to care about technology innovations because this will propel the country’s economy,” Ibuna said.

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14 July 2018