Experiencing an average of 20 typhoons a year, the Philippines has withstood extreme weather conditions time and again. But despite the frequency of typhoons battering the country on a regular basis, whether our energy system is well-equipped to handle these scenarios or not is arguable.

With the Philippine energy system in the midst of a transition to more sustainable energy, can it weather the yearly onslaught of storms? 

We discuss this with a panel of experts in our third installment of the “Powering Up series: Weathering calamities in the energy transition.” Here, we cover timely topics, including breaking down the roadmap of the transition, the role of renewables in weathering calamities, energy security for storm-stricken provincial areas, and more.

We also look back on what has changed since our last installment in April. The panel had a positive outlook on the country’s energy security then, but recent developments have brought the sector’s challenges to the surface, like the increase of red and yellow alerts in the Luzon grid or the Western Visayas blackouts. What are our stumbling blocks and how do we apply the learnings to the energy transition? 

Ruth Yu-Owen, the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Energy Committee chairperson, is back to moderate the panel. She is once again joined by Rowaldo “Wali” Del Mundo, associate dean of the College of Engineering, University of the Philippines – Diliman. A new face on the panel is Monalisa Dimalanta, chair and CEO of the Energy Regulatory Commission.

Episodes of the three-part series will be available on September 5, 19, and October 3. Bookmark this page to watch the episodes as soon as they come out. – Rappler.com