PH energy sector is terrified of renewables

THIS past Wednesday, I took part in what turned out to be a marathon forum on renewable energy (RE) organized by The Manila Times, and even though it made for a very long day, there weren't any wasted moments. Even in the dimly remembered ancient past when we used to do these things in person, like normal people, I don't think we've ever had an event where a lot of substantially valuable information has been presented, especially in areas that are extremely critical to the well-being of the country, in this case, energy and the environment.

One of our guests was Charlie Ayco, the president of WeGen, a company that specializes in small-scale solar energy. For example, these are systems that would apply to a single building or a business or residential complex. The focus of Mr. Ayco's talk was not on his company's business, but rather on the thinking behind what WeGen and similarly positioned enterprises do and the unhelpful regulatory environment they are trying to do it in.