CEBU, Philippines - The Visayan Electric Company (VECO) is sourcing over half of its power supply from renewable energy (RE) sources, making Metro Cebu as one of the “most sustainable” local government units in the country.

Anton Perdices, VECO chief operating officer, said the utility’s RE supply comes mainly from geothermal sources.

Perdices said the RE sources reduce the country’s dependence on imported fossil fuels and help mitigate the effects of climate change.

“In the long term, RE is cheaper than fossil-based technologies. But the initial investment into RE is high at present,” Perdices said during yesterday’s launching forum of SwitchPH, a national campaign for a shift to renewable.

In 2015, nearly a third or 32 percent of the entire country’s power supply came from renewable resources.

Globally, only around 20 percent of the power supply is generated from RE.

To provide for a reliable, ample, and competitively priced power, Perdices said VECO has to maintain a balanced mix of generation sources.

"A balanced mix of renewable and thermal energy sources can address the different levels and patterns of power demand in the most efficient and cost-effective way,” he said.

Veco had a peak demand of 524 megawatts (MW) daily last year.

The Aboitiz-led power distributor serves over 400,000 customers in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Talisay and Naga; and municipalities of Minglanilla, San Fernando, Consolacion and Liloan.

Perdices said the utility’s customers can avail of the RE under the net metering scheme.

At present, 48 accounts with a total installed capacity of 364 kilowatts are enrolled under Veco's net metering system.

The households or establishments with solar panels can transfer their surplus power to their distribution utility like VECO as stipulated in the net metering scheme.

Registered households get bi-directional meters that register the amount of power they transfer to the grid and their electricity consumption.

The cost of power that a household transfers to the distribution system can be offset from its consumption.

Perdices said the net metering means additional power supply for VECO’s customers.

The Renewable Energy Act of 2008 provides that households and business establishments can install solar panels with generation capacity of up to 100 kilowatts to meet their electricity demand and to deliver excess power to the local distribution grid.

In the same forum, former environment secretary Regina Lopez, who was among the keynote speakers, has also pushed for RE use.

Lopez also encouraged the public, especially the millennials to be “humane and compassionate for a better economic growth that would result to social justice.”

"Being compassionate and caring is an indicator of economic growth. The environment is the way to go," she said.

"We can work together. The basic needs – Love, peace and harmony – must be met in building a better country," she added. (FREEMAN)