I was watching an interview with former National Power Corporation President Guido Delgado last week where he categorically stated that we cannot depend on hydroelectric power as the existing plants are not able to generate enough supply.

Mindanaons are angry that the administration has not been able to anticipate the crisis which had been foreseen by several experts. Now a state of calamity in Mindanao has been declared but many fear that this would give the administration reason to exercise emergency measures that may not be sustainable. In fact, senatorial candidate Joey de Venecia blames the administration for its “unexcused failure to put in the required base load capacity.” It also puts the blame on El Niño instead of looking at other factors such as its inability to plan ahead of time. What could have been done, he said, is to have invited foreign and local suppliers for the needed emergency generating sets instead of resorting to negotiated contracts, a common practice in the past.

A policy paper prepared by former Energy Secretary Francisco L.Viray and Myrna Velasco on “Crafting Energy Policies” for the Unicef-Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication publication, “The Future of Filipino Children,” examines some realities and alternatives. They note that although we are urged to shift from fossil fuels (coal and oil) to cleaner energy sources such as biofuels, renewable and nuclear energy, the reality is that oil, coal and natural gas remain the most abundant energy.

While alternatives are being explored, their reliability and sustainability is a major concern. Nuclear energy has yet to win social acceptability because of public fear. Questions have emerged on the long –term viability and value to consumers of alternative energy sources on account of higher investment costs required.- e.g., for the development of storage system for wind and solar, or the installation of underwater turbines to harness kinetic energy from ocean or tidal sources. Among the options is what most of us already know but fail to practice regularly – maintaining energy efficiency by turning off a light or installing energy-efficient appliances. Efficient policy planning will be needed as “high prices will return with a vengeance.” Their advice to policy makers is to institute policies that can accelerate capital investment and can demonstrate predictability in legal and regulatory frameworks. It is also important to prepare the youth in taking responsibility for ensuring sustainability by propping up their knowledge and skills in pursuing paradigm shifts. Thus, education, research and training programs and school curricula, specifically for geologists, engineers, and scientists should integrate energy policies and programs to attract and build the next generation of human capital.

On a worldwide scale, one forecaster predicts is that at the rate of consumption of present methods of power generation, human beings have little more than a century before energy reserves dry up. But with the prospect of the world’s population growing by 40 percent in the next 40 years, and the increasing energy requirements by India and China, this may be an over-estimation. Another assessment is that we have enough technologies to deploy in combating climate change and the energy crisis. But we would also need a design science revolution and innovators who will continually improve on what we already have. The technology of Internet gives the opportunity for global dialogue which would be essential in the search for solutions. My e-mail is florangel.braid@gmail.com