Greenpeace busts
myths on Renewable Energy with The Solar Rooftop Challenge
Press Release
June 15, 2016
MANILA – On the eve
of the start of the comprehensive government energy policy review, and
proving that the incoming rainy season is not an impediment to fully
embrace solar energy, Greenpeace launched the Solar Rooftop Challenge,
an aggressive information campaign that highlights the potentials of
producing solar energy in the Philippines.
The Solar Rooftop Challenge
highlights the benefits of using solar and busts misguided notions
that hinder individuals and companies from taking it up by showcasing
existing solar rooftop installations of urban middle class households,
celebrities, churches, schools, government buildings and private
establishments, and through sharing empowering stories of people who
have joined the solar rooftop revolution in the country.
"Today, we are launching the
Solar Rooftop Challenge to create a platform for the young and urban
Filipinos to join the discussion on renewable energy, particularly the
use of solar energy. At the same time that the young, hip and trendy
Filipinos are ‘arriving’, so is the use of solar energy,” explained
Reuben Muni, Climate and Energy Campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast
Asia Philippines.
The launch event featured
informative lectures and discussions by Obet Verzola, author of the
book Crossing Over: the Energy Transition to Renewable Energy and
Executive Director of Center for Renewable Electricity Strategies
(CREST), and Dann Diez, Executive Director of Sustainable Energy and
Enterprise Development for Communities, who presented data and
experiences showing that solar energy installation is affordable,
accessible and more cost-effective in the long run.
The launch also unveiled the
video series Juana Solar Busts a Myth in Minutes, which features
celebrity advocates Saab Magalona, Yam Concepcion and Dingdong Dantes
busting the myths surrounding the use of solar energy. The videos
debunk the myths that solar energy is expensive, unreliable,
impractical, uneconomic, and beyond the reach of the average Filipino.
The Solar Rooftop Challenge
also happens at the same time that the Philippine government is
starting its comprehensive review of the country's energy policy in
order to reduce dependence on coal and come up with a national
framework for a just transition to renewable energy and a low-carbon
economic pathway.
“By showing that many
Filipinos across the country have already made the switch to solar
energy, we are sending a message to the incoming Duterte
Administration to take to heart this energy policy review and listen
to the clamor of many more Filipinos who want clean and renewable
sources of electricity for their homes, offices, and businesses,”
added Muni.
By telling empowering
stories, the Solar Rooftop Challenge showed that the solar revolution
is already happening in many parts of the country - from a
solar-powered church, to solar-powered schools, malls, and many
households. It aims to serve as a platform for the thousands of
Filipinos who have already embraced the solar revolution to show and
tell their stories as well as exchange and share ideas and information
to persuade other people who are keen on taking up the challenge of
producing their own clean and renewable electricity from their
rooftops.
“The stories will show
energy independence through solar energy. We will break the myths
surrounding renewable energy and create a powerful testament on its
practicality, cost-effectiveness, and reliability to propel the
Philippines to a future powered by clean and sustainable energy,” Muni
said.