00:00 Even if the heat is over, the supply of electricity may still be lacking,
00:05 especially if the power plants are affected by the typhoon.
00:09 That's why the search for more sources is ongoing,
00:13 like in Cebu, where there's a resident who doesn't have an electric bill
00:18 because he uses solar energy.
00:21 Here's the special report by JP Soriano.
00:29 In the heat of Cebu City,
00:33 the electric fan and air conditioner in Nestor's house are almost dead.
00:38 But because of the high amount of electricity used in the house,
00:41 his electric bill is now zero pesos.
00:46 His secret is solar energy.
00:50 On the roof of his house, there are solar panels
00:55 that collect energy from the sun.
00:58 So basically, during the day, I'm charging using this.
01:03 And then during the night, I'm withdrawing this power and bring it to the house.
01:07 What can you prepare?
01:10 Everything.
01:11 But to make Nestor's solar power system work,
01:15 he spent P400,000.
01:20 The cost is so high at first.
01:24 Nestor said he's almost recovered from the huge amount he spent.
01:29 Here in Cebu, they also combined the use of energy from the sun.
01:36 The Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway is a road and expressway
01:41 that connects Cebu City and Cordova in Mactan, Cebu.
01:46 It's also powered by solar energy.
01:49 The longest road in the Philippines is 8.9 kilometers long.
01:54 It's longer than the longest bridge in San Juanico.
01:58 The electricity that's being supplied in this road's daytime operation,
02:02 like CCTV, traffic control room, RFID lanes,
02:05 comes from the on-grid and hybrid solar farm
02:09 that's located in the foot of this road.
02:12 The cost of solar panels is P60 million.
02:17 And there are other things that need to be used to make it work.
02:21 Usually, at night, there are only road lights.
02:24 But the aircon is active in the morning,
02:28 most of the time.
02:29 But our project is to cut 50% of our loads,
02:32 of our bill here in the expressway.
02:36 If it's just solar energy,
02:38 it's like it's been inherited by the people of Cebu.
02:41 In Toledo, there's the Seticor Solar Cebu Incorporated,
02:46 formerly known as the first Toledo Solar Energy Corporation.
02:51 In its 73 hectares,
02:53 this solar farm in Toledo, Cebu,
02:55 is one of the largest solar farms in the entire Visayas.
02:59 It doesn't have carbon emissions.
03:01 The beauty of solar energy is that it's infinite.
03:05 We don't run out of it.
03:07 Solar plants are easy to maintain.
03:11 It's not like conventional plants.
03:14 And the operational cost is low.
03:18 Solar energy is one of the sources of energy
03:22 that President Bombo-Marcos is planning to include
03:25 in the energy mix
03:26 that is being promoted by the Philippines' Renewable Energy Sources.
03:32 Renewable energy is the way forward.
03:35 But according to the Department of Energy,
03:38 the percentage of solar power being distributed in the energy mix
03:44 here in the Philippines is not the same as the percentage
03:47 of solar power being distributed in the Philippines.
03:49 It's often rainy and there are typhoons.
03:53 Our solar energy is high.
03:55 But the actual generation is only 1.6%.
04:00 Because it's only available for 10 to 12 hours.
04:04 Not only is solar energy the most powerful
04:07 and the Philippines currently has,
04:12 but if the lawmaker, Representative Marco Juanco,
04:16 will ask,
04:17 nuclear energy is the answer to an energy crisis.
04:24 24 hours a day,
04:26 it's a reliable power.
04:29 Compared to wind and solar,
04:33 how can it be in the quiet night?
04:37 It's zero.
04:39 The youth nuclear power plant,
04:40 the first nuclear power plant in Southeast Asia,
04:44 started working more than three decades ago.
04:48 Sometimes, it's not even in use.
04:51 Until now.
04:53 Juanco is the chairperson of the Special Committee on Nuclear Energy
04:58 of the House of Representatives that was formed
05:01 under the current administration.
05:04 During our tour inside the plant,
05:06 they showed Juanco and Napucor the different parts
05:11 and the use of the youth nuclear power plant.
05:15 In this part, their main reactor vessel is placed.
05:18 This is the most important component of the plant
05:20 that heats and then generates energy
05:23 that is used as the source of electricity.
05:26 But before, different groups and legislators
05:31 were pushing the opening of the youth nuclear power plant
05:34 because of the possible danger of an earthquake and tsunami.
05:39 Just like what happened to the Fukushima power plant
05:43 that was destroyed by an earthquake in Japan in 2011.
05:47 Some countries, like Germany,
05:49 are also pushing for green and renewable energy.
05:53 The use of any kind of nuclear energy is completely banned.
05:58 We decided to phase it out because it is not safe.
06:04 It also has tremendous risks for the waste that's there.
06:09 It takes a long time to build.
06:11 You have to import the uranium,
06:13 so you have energy security issues as well as the waste issues.
06:17 So I think for a country that has the resources
06:20 of the sun and geothermal as the Philippines,
06:25 I mean, renewable energies is so much cheaper.
06:28 I think that's the way the world is going.
06:30 What about the issue of waste?
06:32 How do we manage the waste when we operate again?
06:38 Because of the energy density of uranium,
06:41 the requirement for fuel is tiny and the waste is also tiny.
06:47 In fossil fuels, when you burn one unit of fuel,
06:52 you end up with almost three units of waste.
06:54 But in nuclear, your fuel is equal to your waste.
06:58 So if the waste is tiny in volume,
07:01 it's also very easy to get rid of.
07:05 DOE says that when it comes to nuclear energy,
07:10 it can start with small.
07:13 Now, what's popular is what's called a small modular reactor.
07:18 So they're just small in capacity.
07:20 You can build it and stack it to increase the capacity.
07:23 So in terms of safety,
07:27 its security features are enhanced because it's small.
07:31 It's not like a big plant with massive infrastructure.
07:35 Nuclear or renewable energy,
07:39 the DOE needs to increase the energy generation capacity of the country
07:44 because if not, a dark future is waiting for us.
07:50 For GMA Integrated News,
07:53 JP Soriano, 24 Hours.
07:58 (upbeat music)
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