BARRIERS OF IMPLEMENTING RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE PHILIPPINES
Joanna Marie Aqui Millena, Elroy Jon Girao Ilagan,
Jessica Francis Arellano Santos, Jose Emmanuel Ty Valerio
DLSU EMTECH 3rd Term SY 08-09
ABSTRACT
We cannot talk about energy without talking about the
environment. They are tied together. Most sources of energy
require us to do something to the earth that we cannot fix.
To combat global warming and the other problems
associated with fossil fuels, our country is slowly switching
to renewable energy sources like sunlight, wind, geothermal
and biomass. All renewable energy technologies are not
appropriate to all applications or locations. However, as
with conventional energy production, there are some issues
to be considered. This paper identifies some of the key
issues that renewable energy faces in the industry today.
Issues included are lack of awareness and interest in
investment opportunities, environmental impacts of
renewable energy technologies, technological constraints,
and lack of investment in non-power application and lack of
clear policies.
1. INTRODUCTION
Graph of the Philippines’
Total Energy Consumption in 2005
The Philippines’ total consumption is dependent upon
traditional hydrocarbon sources of energy. Oil consumption,
at 53 percent, accounted for the majority of the Philippines’
final energy consumption mix in 2005, followed by coal at
19 percent. Renewable energy sources comprised 15 percent
of consumption, followed by natural gas and hydroelectric
consumption at 7 percent and 6 percent, respectively. The
updated Philippine Energy Plan of 2005, which is a major
reform agenda of the Arroyo Administration, is designed to
move towards energy independence by first attaining a level
of 60 percent self-sufficiency by 2010. The plan indicates
that between 2005 and 2014, the economy’s final energy
demand will grow at 4.7 percent per year. To help meet
growth in demand, part of the strategy is to increase the
country’s oil and gas reserves by about 20 percent and to
reduce coal imports by 20 percent. The development of
biofuels, as mandated under the Biofuel Act of 2006, will
also contribute to the energy mix needed to eventually meet
the goal of self-sufficiency [6].
Table of Sectoral Investment Requirements
The Philippine Energy Plan (PEP) envisions that
the future energy supply will be adequate, reliable, and
affordable to industries to enable to provide continuous
employment and low-cost goods and services, and to the
ordinary citizens, to enable them to achieve a decent
lifestyle. Its goal is that energy will be produced and used in
a manner that promotes sustainable development in the
utilization of the country’s natural resources but at the same
time maintain the country’s overall economic
competitiveness.
In order to attain this goal, there is a need to
recognize the factors that hinders the development of
renewable energy. The following sections of this paper will
discuss the constraints that hinder the further development
of renewable energy [6].
 2. LACK OF AWARNESS AND INTEREST IN
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
As an example to this factor is the utilization of geothermal
energy in the country. There has been limited private sector
investment in steam field development. In fact, there are
only two geothermal steam field in the country, namely
PNOC-EDC which operates a majority of the existing
geothermal contract areas and PGI (Philippine Geothermal
Incorporated) which is a subsidiary of the Union Oil of
California (UNOCAL).
Another is the commercialization of hydropower
technology. There is a need to further develop and
commercialize suitable micro hydro technology in the
country, even as hydropower technology for large and small
projects is proven and mature. The effect of this problem
causes the country to remains dependent on imported
electro-mechanical equipment for micro hydro projects [1].
This has been perhaps the most underestimated
problem in implementing Renewable energy in the country.
If Renewable Energy would be given much attention by the
government then perhaps the private companies would
follow or at least the general public would know the gradual
decrease of energy sources. Up to now there are only few
companies in the industry of renewable energy the largest
operator would be the PNOC-EDC. The other businessman
is not fully aware of how the renewable energy in turn could
give more stable cash flow to them if they have investment
on it. The equipments are really expensive but it is the
investment that businessman would really need to prioritize
because finding renewable energy in the country is not that
hard nowadays given the technology and the archipelago
type of our country. There are many islands not yet
discovered that may possess other renewable energy sources
such as Geothermal Energy which has the most potential for
development in the country.
There is no interest coming from the general public
itself as one if the reasons for it are there is no program
coming from the government to really advertise this
industry. The public is really not mindful of using energy
especially electricity as that what they only know is the cost
of it is getting higher due to the companies problem and not
because of the decline in energy source. The government is
not promoting the use of any alternative source of energy
which could really be a big savings to every Filipino home
like the installation of solar home panels. It is expensive
indeed but the long term effect of it would definitely
outweigh the installation cost of the solar panels. If this
project would be introduce in some of the barangays here in
the National Capital Region then people or the general
public would start to notice the savings from the electricity.
3. ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIO-CULUTRAL
CONCERNS
In geothermal development, these concerns are considered
as critical factors. There is a need for the harmonization of
NIPAS (National Integrated Protected Areas System Act)
and IPRA (Indigenous People’s Right Act) as these pose
problems to renewable energy investors in prospect areas
that are both protected areas and ancestral land.
These concerns are also resistance to the further
development of hydropower projects, particularly large
hydro, due to the potential for upstream flooding,
destruction of agricultural areas and animal habitat and
disruption of communities in the affected areas [1].
3.1. Wind energy
It is hard to imagine an energy source more benevolent to
the environment than wind power; it produces no air or
water pollution, involves no toxic or hazardous substances,
and poses no threat to public safety. And yet a serious
obstacle facing the wind industry is public opposition
reflecting concern over the visibility and noise of wind
turbines, and their impacts on wilderness areas.
Although the wind turbines themselves occupy only a
small fraction of land area, in other settings however, wind
power development can create serious land-use conflicts. In
forested areas it may mean clearing trees and cutting roads,
a prospect that is sure to generate controversy, except
possibly in areas where heavy logging has already occurred.
And near populated areas, wind projects often run into stiff
opposition from people who regard them as unsightly and
noisy, or who fear their presence may reduce property
values. In appropriate areas, and with imagination, careful
planning, and early contacts between the wind industry,
environmental groups, and affected communities and
environmental problems should not be undefeatable.
3.2. Solar energy
Since solar power systems generate no air pollution during
operation, the primary environmental, health, and safety
issues involve how they are manufactured, installed, and
ultimately disposed. Energy is required to manufacture and
install solar components, and any fossil fuels used for this
purpose will generate emissions. Although this varies
depending upon the technology and climate, the energy
balance is generally favorable to solar systems in
applications where they are cost effective, and it is
improving with each successive generation of technology.
Materials used in some solar systems can create health
and safety hazards for workers and anyone else coming into
contact with them. In particular, the manufacturing of
photovoltaic cells often requires hazardous materials such as
arsenic and cadmium. Even relatively inert silicon, a major
material used in solar cells, can be hazardous to workers if it
is breathed in as dust. Workers involved in manufacturing
photovoltaic modules and components must consequently be
protected from exposure to these materials. There is an
additional-probably very small-danger that hazardous fumes
released from photovoltaic modules attached to burning
homes or buildings could injure fire fighters. None of these
potential hazards is much different in quality or magnitude
from the innumerable hazards people face routinely in an
industrial society. Through effective regulation, the dangers
can very likely be kept at a very low level.
The large amount of land required for poses an
additional problem, especially where wildlife protection is a
concern. But this problem is not unique to solar power
plants. Solar-thermal plants (like most conventional power
plants) also require cooling water, which may be costly or
scarce in desert areas.
Large central power plants are not the only option for
generating energy from sunlight, however, and are probably
among the least promising. Because sunlight is dispersed,
small-scale, dispersed applications are a better match to the
resource. They can take advantage of unused space on the
roofs of homes and buildings and in urban and industrial
lots. And, in solar building designs, the structure itself acts
as the collector, so there is no need for any additional space
at all.
3.3. Geothermal energy
The various geothermal resource types differ in many
respects, but they raise a common set of environmental
issues. Air and water pollution are two leading concerns,
along with the safe disposal of hazardous waste, siting, and
land subsidence. Since these resources would be exploited
in a highly centralized fashion, reducing their environmental
impacts to an acceptable level should be relatively easy. But
it will always be difficult to site plants in scenic or
otherwise environmentally sensitive areas.
The method used to convert geothermal steam or hot
water to electricity directly affects the amount of waste
generated. Closed-loop systems are almost totally safe, since
gases or fluids removed from the well are not exposed to the
atmosphere and are usually injected back into the ground
after giving up their heat. Although this technology is more
expensive than conventional open-loop systems, in some
cases it may reduce scrubber and solid waste disposal costs
enough to provide a significant economic advantage [3].
Open-loop systems, on the other hand, can generate
large amounts of solid wastes as well as noxious fumes.
Metals, minerals, and gases leach out into the geothermal
steam or hot water as it passes through the rocks. The large
amounts of chemicals released when geothermal fields are
tapped for commercial production can be hazardous or
objectionable to people living and working nearby.
Usually the best disposal method is to inject liquid
wastes or redissolved solids back into a porous stratum of a
geothermal well. This technique is especially important at
geopressured power plants because of the sheer volume of
wastes they produce each day. Wastes must be injected well
below fresh water aquifers to make certain that there is no
communication between the usable water and waste-water
strata. Leaks in the well casing at shallow depths must also
be prevented.
Most geothermal power plants will require a large
amount of water for cooling or other purposes. In places
where water is in short supply, this need could raise
conflicts with other users for water resources. The
development of hydrothermal energy faces a special
problem. Many hydrothermal reservoirs are located in or
near wilderness areas of great natural. Proposed
developments in such areas have aroused intense opposition.
If hydrothermal-electric development is to expand much
further in the Philippines, reasonable compromises will have
to be reached between environmental groups and industry.
3.4. Hydroelectric power
From an electricity production standpoint, one of the leading
benefits of hydropower is its unique ability to almost
instantaneously produce electricity as consumers require it.
When demand is up, more water is released from above the
dam, through the turbines and into the river downstream. As
demand wanes, water flow is reduced. The resulting
modifications in stream flow can have both immediate and
long-term impacts on aquatic life and on basic components
of water quality (e.g., temperature, dissolved oxygen,
dissolved nitrogen).
Usually rivers are blocked and a lake forms behind the
dam. This changes the entire ecosystem of the environment.
Fish that require fast moving water (trout, salmon) give way
to fish that prefer lakes (carp, catfish). Animals that
depended on the fast moving river have to adapt to the new
environment, move to another location, or even die.
Dams have an effect on fish passage. They can
fragment a river system, impede or block fish movement,
and kill or injure fish. The viability and mobility of fish
species that would otherwise move to and from different
habitats within a river system may diminish substantially, if
not completely, due to a hydropower project. In addition to
their direct benefits to society, these fish may also be
important components of food webs that support
populations of other commercially and recreationally
important species.
Water impoundment’s and flow changes affect not just
the river itself, but the associated streamside (riparian) and
wetland habitats. Load following exacerbates riverbank
erosion and harms fish, invertebrates, amphibians, another
aquatic life and reservoirs may flood land used by avian and
terrestrial species. Corridors needed for transmission lines
may also fragment habitats and create flight hazards to
migratory birds, and maintaining corridors with herbicides
may cause adverse effects to plants and wildlife [8].
3.5. Biomass
Combustion of biomass and biomass-derived fuels
produces air pollution. How serious these impacts are will
depend on how carefully the resource is managed. The
problem is further complicated because there is no single
biomass technology, but rather a wide variety of production
and conversion methods, each with different environmental
impacts.
Inevitably, the combustion of biomass produces air
pollutants, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and
particulates such as soot and ash. The amount of pollution
emitted per unit of energy generated varies widely by
technology, with wood-burning stoves and fireplaces
generally the worst offenders.
Emissions from conventional biomass-fueled power plants
are generally similar to emissions from coal-fired power
plants, with the notable difference that biomass facilities
produce very little sulfur dioxide or toxic metals (cadmium,
mercury, and others). The most serious problem is their
particulate emissions, which must be controlled with special
devices. More advanced technologies, such as the whole-
tree burner (which has three successive combustion stages)
and the gasifier/combustion turbine combination, should
generate much lower emissions, perhaps comparable to
those of power plants fueled by natural gas.
Using biomass-derived methanol and ethanol as
vehicle fuels, instead of conventional gasoline, could
substantially reduce some types of pollution from
automobiles. Both methanol and ethanol evaporate more
slowly than gasoline, thus helping to reduce evaporative
emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which
react with heat and sunlight to generate ground-level ozone
(a component of smog) [3].
4. TECHNOLOGICAL CONSTRAINTS
Innovative technology must be further utilized to handle
natural constraints. As for example the Alto Peak area of
Tongonan field in Leyte which suffered a blowout and was
knocked off due to the fast rate of corrosion from
geothermal fluids.
One thing that concerns this is the cost of the
technology that maybe used. The problem is harnessing
renewable energy requires a lot of money up front in order
to obtain technologies and gadgets that would help in the
exploration, plant construction and other activities.
Although renewable technologies have decreased
significantly, particularly for wind and photovoltaic
systems, their costs are still higher than those used for
conventional grid-based electricity generation [1].
Geothermal energy, for instance, is actually abundant in
a country like ours because volcanoes are all over the
nation. The issue is the tapping of such geothermal energy
sources. It requires capital for exploring possible steam
fields, usually in mountainous areas, building kilometers of
winding roads to remote site, transporting tons of
equipment, building work camps to house construction and
operations personnel, etc [7].
To address the issue in the funding of technologies for
better renewable energy exploration strategies, the
government, particularly the DOE (Department of Energy)
has joined forces with the private sectors to create programs
and projects to stimulate greater private-led investments in
the sector, promote renewable energy technologies as
competitive energy options and maximize the use of
renewable energy potentials.
The DOE is targeting the installation of an
additional 1,200 MW of geothermal capacity within the next
ten years, resulting to an increase of about 60 percent from
the 2002 level of 1,931 MW. The attainment of this target is
being pursued as a strategy to maintain, if not improve, the
Philippines' ranking as the second largest geothermal
producer in the world. For the hydro sector, the aim is for up
to 2,950 MW of additional capacity to be installed within
the next ten years on top of the 2002 level of 2,518 MW,
reaching a total of 5,468 MW by 2013. Finally, the DOE
will push for the installation of up to 548 MW from RE
sources by 2013. Of this total, 417 MW will come from
wind-based power while the remaining 131 MW will be
sourced from solar, ocean and biomass [5].
The people to perform the tasks are also a factor why
there are technological constraints within the country. It is
because of their incompetence in the field. As for instance
the concern of the semicon/electronics sector is the fact that
our engineering schools are constrained by the Professional
Regulations Commission (PRC) in terms of adjusting their
curriculum to meet the ever changing requirements of the
technology sector. Our engineers have to undergo post-
hiring training before working. This is due to the lack of
technical competence as our engineers do not satisfy
industry needs. Again, this is because the engineering
students in the country are more concerned about passing
the board required subjects rather than take subjects that
industry needs.
Although the government and private sectors
themselves conduct training for the new graduates whenever
employment takes place, it is still insufficient because there
is lesser time given to the in-house training. School training
is still better since time is not an issue, and the introduction
of new facilities is enhanced than those of the other energy-
providing companies [4].
5. LACK OF PROPER TRAINING AND RESEARCH
Research is critical to the success in developing renewable
energy. The customer may have insufficient information to
make informed choices. They are unlikely to be aware that
these new technologies are good investment since they lack
the proper information to know . The lack of research
hinders Philippines to grow and use more alternative energy.
Philippines has a big potential in regards with wind power.
The study conducted by the WWF that Philippines has a
potential to produce 7,404 MW worth of wind power. The
government already started developing the use the wind
power potential. A wind farm was installed last 2005 it was
the first in South East Asia it can produce up to 25MW .The
department of energy targets at least 425 MW worth of wind
power within the next 10 years. Although it is possible to
reach that target within 10 years but the group believes it
would be very unlikely to happened considering some
factors. First the government lacks has inadequate capacity
building on the development of wind power projects.
Nothing much has change since Northwind installed the first
ever wind farm in 2005. The department of energy is still
undergoing a process to develop the current capacity to
reach its goal of 425 in 10 years. The initial plan of the
government is to show the benefits for project developers in
terms in reducing the time being consume and save money if
the project is properly implemented. The main problem of
the department of energy is that insufficient capacity of
local project developers & consultants in developing wind
power projects meaning the government chooses the wrong
set of people to research about wind power energy [3].
6. LACK OF CLEAR POLICIES
The aggressive development of the country’s renewable
energy resource potential comes as the most critical strategy
in attaining the Philippine government advocacy for energy
independence. There is a need to improve the implementing
rules and regulations to remove the barriers in the expansion
of renewable energy. Traditional policy of the government
must be further improved also to facilitate the energy
sector’s transition to sustainable system with renewable
energy as an increasingly prominent, viable and competitive
option [1].
The issue for lack of clear policies is perhaps one of the
first steps that the government is taking towards prioritizing
the renewable energy in the country. One of the most
promising program that they had established, though not
clearly disseminated to the public is the PEP which is the
blueprint for "all players in the energy sector for the next ten
years." According to Australian Business Council for
Sustainable Energy (2005), part of the PEP is also focused
on renewable energy development projects in wind, solar,
ocean, mini-hydro and biomass. The plan identifies at least
six projects in different stages of development that will
provide an additional 1000 MW for the Luzon grid. These
include a 25 MW wind farm by the Northwind Development
Corp., which is a subsidiary of state-owned Philippine
National Oil Co. It also identifies the 345 MW San Roque
hydropower plant in Pangasinan.
Up until now there are only five legislative provisions
that promote the use of renewable energy on the country.
The following are Executive Order 215 (EO 215), Build-
Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law, The Mini-Hydro Law,
Renewable Energy Power Program (REPP), and Executive
Order 462 (EO 462). The EO 215 is important for the
commercialization of independent renewable energy
projects. The BOT program that the government introduces
perhaps is one of the program that attracted private
developers to make projects with the government and have
their investment bring back to them in a couple of years
through the service fees of using that projects implemented.
The investment coming from private contractors would
serve the government as the direct beneficiary of the
projects. Not all of these laws have been really in active in
its continuing support towards renewable energy. The
Renewable Energy Power Program is an example of a
flawed design on the energy program of the government
because of the reluctance of other government sectors to pay
its budget.
7. FURTHER RESEARCH
The different barriers that were discussed really slowed
down the progress of renewable energy in the country. The
impact of renewable energy is not really felt in the country
and that the increasing electricity cost of the different
electric providers in the different regions are just getting
bigger and bigger due to their massive control to the
electricity. The solution of renewable energy to cut down
the electricity consumption in the country should always be
in mind of our government officials. Through this it would
help them focus on the other needs of the people. The
unstable price of oil in the world market is also something
that is needed to consider and that pushing the renewable
energy should be aggressive than ever.
With the barriers that were presented and the
potential of renewable energy, it would be appropriate to
discuss the different kinds of technologies that if the
renewable energy would be push through in the country then
there would be a time that different technologies are needed
to accompany the increasing consumption of renewable
energy in the country. Solar Energy played a key role in
lighting up different provinces in the country that has no
electricity. One of the new technologies that are being
implemented specifically in the Batanes region is the use of
solar energy to power up batteries in the area. The solar
battery charging stations charged car batteries that were in
turn used by the localities as a source of energy in their
homes. According to an SGP-funded report by Sibol Ng
Aghan at Teknolohiya [11], a renewable energy technology
NGO in the Philippines, as of 1998 approximately 27
community solar battery charging stations had been installed
in the Philippines, 13 of which were working in 1998 at the
time of the study. These were mainly used in poor
communities engaged in either upland farming or fishing in
remote areas. However, evidence from SIB AT’s study
suggests that maintenance of the charging system and proper
use are essential, as is regular battery replacement, if the
system is to continue running effectively.
According to Mongnia [9], Past and on-going
projects on NRE systems in the country such as solar
homelighting, windpumping and micro-hydro projects are
mostly subsidized if not pure dole-outs. Experience has
shown that demonstration projects should focus on: the
development of standard practices on the assessment of
capacity to pay by the project beneficiaries; the
establishment of standard repayment schemes and the
benchmarking for the level of subsidies; and concessionary
rates of interests that could be coupled with renewable
projects in the rural areas. Furthermore, the selection of
demonstration technologies should be consistent with
national new and renewable energy (NRE) development
priority. It is suggested that the demonstration projects
should consist of one large-scale grid-connected renewable
energy project, such as large-scale wind farm or biomass
cogeneratoin; several off-grid projects, such as solar, wind,
hydro, and biomass gasifier.
The technologies for the renewable energy are costly
and that it is one of the barriers that was discussed earlier
which results to the lack of investments. There is another
way to encourage the private companies to adopt the
renewable energy in which it is called the cap and trade
system. Early adopters will be able to get credits that they
can trade in a market. A cap on emissions set by various
governments will penalize those who fail to comply, like
companies that never made the investments in clean energy.
Another alternative is the Feed-in Tariff system, in
which utilities can pass on the increased cost of the
mandated renewable energy to their consumers. For the
Philippines, like in other countries, a Green Option in the
law allows consumers to opt for some clean-energy-
generated power in their bill. This assumes that a significant
segment of the population will be willing to pay a slight
premium to have clean power. In my opinion, though, most
Asians will still default to the cheapest power available,
namely fossil-fuel-generated electricity. [10]
8. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
85% of the energy we use comes from fossil fuels. These are
energy sources such as coil, oil and natural gas. It is obvious
that the world actually depends on the supply of fossil fuel.
It is alarming that these sources are running out and it would
take millions of years to completely restore the fossil fuels
that the earth has in just a few thousand. It just means that
this energy-giving source is non-renewable.
It is the reason why people are developing renewable
energy sources as a resolution for such global issue.
Renewable energy come form many commonly known
sources such as solar power, wind, running water, and
geothermal energy. These could self-replenish naturally
over a short period of time.
Although the Philippines have rich natural resources to
produce renewable energy, the country is still faced with
numerous issues with regards to this. Such common
problems include: the lack of awareness and interest in
investment opportunities, environmental and socio-cultural
concerns, technological constraints, lack of investment in
non-power applications, and the lack of clear policies. To
address the issues, the government is promoting projects and
programs to stimulate greater investments in the sector. The
government is intended to promote renewable energy
technologies as a competitive energy option. And with the
help of non-governmental organizations, the renewable
energy sector is being given more attention to make people
aware of its cause and importance as well as with the
funding of appropriate tools and technologies to be able to
sustain the growth and development of renewable energy in
the country.
Renewable energy sources are wonderful options
because they are limitless. So the Philippines as well as the
whole world must actually invest further with its
development because the fossil fuels people currently
depend upon will eventually whither and run out.
8.1. Wind energy
In appropriate areas, and with imagination, careful planning,
and early contacts between the wind industry, environmental
groups, and affected communities and environmental
problems should not be undefeatable.
8.2. Solar energy
Workers involved in manufacturing photovoltaic modules
and components must consequently be protected from
exposure to these materials.
None of these potential hazards is much different in
quality or magnitude from the innumerable hazards people
face routinely in an industrial society. Through effective
regulation, the dangers can very likely be kept at a very low
level.
Large central power plants are not the only option for
generating energy from sunlight, however, and are probably
among the least promising. Because sunlight is dispersed,
small-scale, dispersed applications are a better match to the
resource. They can take advantage of unused space on the
roofs of homes and buildings and in urban and industrial
lots. And, in solar building designs, the structure itself acts
as the collector, so there is no need for any additional space
at all.
8.3. Geothermal energy
Usually the best disposal method is to inject liquid wastes or
redissolved solids back into a porous stratum of a
geothermal well. This technique is especially important at
geopressured power plants because of the sheer volume of
wastes they produce each day. Wastes must be injected well
below fresh water aquifers to make certain that there is no
communication between the usable water and waste-water
strata. Leaks in the well casing at shallow depths must also
be prevented.
8.4. Biomass
Using biomass-derived methanol and ethanol as vehicle
fuels, instead of conventional gasoline, could substantially
reduce some types of pollution from automobiles. Both
methanol and ethanol evaporate more slowly than gasoline,
thus helping to reduce evaporative emissions of volatile
organic compounds (VOCs), which react with heat and
sunlight to generate ground-level ozone (a component of
smog).
8.4.1. Greenhouse Gases Benefits
A major benefit of substituting biomass for fossil fuels is
that, if done in a sustainable fashion, it would greatly reduce
emissions of greenhouses gases. The amount of carbon
dioxide released when biomass is burned is very nearly the
same as the amount required to replenish the plants grown to
produce the biomass. Thus, in a sustainable fuel cycle, there
would be no net emissions of carbon dioxide, although some
fossil-fuel inputs may be required for planting, harvesting,
transporting, and processing biomass. Yet, if efficient
cultivation and conversion processes are used, the resulting
emissions should be small. And if the energy needed to
produce and process biomass came from renewable sources
in the first place, the net contribution to global warming
would be zero. Similarly, if biomass wastes such as crop
residues or municipal solid wastes are used for energy, there
should be few or no net greenhouse gas emissions.
8.4.2. Implications for Agriculture and Forestry
One surprising side effect of growing trees and other plants
for energy is that it could benefit soil quality and farm
economies. Energy crops could provide a steady
supplemental income for farmers in off-seasons or allow
them to work unused land without requiring much additional
equipment. If improperly managed, however, energy
farming could have harmful environmental impacts.
Although energy crops could be grown with less pesticide
and fertilizer than conventional food crops, large-scale
energy farming could nevertheless lead to increases in
chemical use simply because more land would be under
cultivation. It could also affect biodiversity through the
destruction of species habitats, especially if forests are more
intensively managed. If agricultural or forestry wastes and
residues were used for fuel, then soils could be depleted of
organic content and nutrients unless care was taken to leave
enough wastes behind. These concerns point up the need for
regulation and monitoring of energy crop development and
waste use.
Increasing the amount of forest wood harvested for
energy could have both positive and negative effects. On
one hand, it could provide an incentive for the forest-
products industry to manage its resources more efficiently,
and thus improve forest health. But it could also provide an
excuse, under the "green" mantle, to exploit forests in an
unsustainable fashion. Unfortunately, commercial forests
have not always been soundly managed, and many people
view with alarm the prospect of increased wood cutting.
Their concerns can be met by tighter government controls
on forestry practices and by following the principles of
"excellent" forestry. If such principles are applied, it should
be possible to extract energy from forests indefinitely.

8.5. Hydroelectric power
Companies should have fish Passage and protection
Management. They should develop more on technologies
and approaches for upstream and downstream fish passage.
Researchers examined the influence of fluid dynamics on
fish behavior, including role of (1) riverine turbulence in the
migratory paths selected by downstream-migrating fish, and
(2) fluid flows near and in turbines that result in fish injury
and mortality. Research results may lead to improvements in
active and passive technologies for guiding organisms
toward bypasses or away from hazards such as spillways
and turbine intakes. They should also have Water Resource
Management and provide hydropower operators with state-
of-the-art information on methods and technology.
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