Cabiao, Candaba set to grow sweet sorghum for food, fuel

By Tonette Orejas Central Luzon Desk CANDABA, Pampanga, Philippines—Test farming of sweet sorghum in the last six years showed crop production in the Philippines to be 50 percent higher than in India, increasing the crop’s potential as a source of food, fodder and fuel in local communities, according to a top crop scientist. Dr. Belum Reddy, principal scientist of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat), said research done through linkages with universities and colleges in Ilocos Norte, Central Luzon and South Cotabato showed that sweet sorghum can be “planted throughout the year in major islands of the Philippines.” It can also be grown during the rainy months, he said. Icrisat, a nongovernment and nonpolitical institution based in India, promotes the cultivation of sweet sorghum for various uses. The institution is headed by Dr. William Dar, former secretary of the Department ofAgriculture. In the Philippines, Icrisat works in communities through local governments and national agencies, like the Department of Science and Technology. The DOST has helped some villages produce vinegar, sweet syrup, juice, bread and snacks from sweet sorghum. “The grain is food for people, fodder for animals, the stalks for ethanol fuel and the bagasse for biocompost,” Reddy said in a presentation made for Mayor Gloria Congco of Cabiao, Nueva Ecija, and Mayor Jerry Pelayo of Candaba, Pampanga. The towns are neighbors, both within the 32,000-hectare Candaba Swamp. “Food security is number one [priority]. Food securitymust not be sacrificed,” Reddy told the Inquirer. Congco said the Cabiao government started growing sweet sorghum last year, initially using 10 hectares. “While the yield showed to be good, we don’t have the equipment to process the crop. Also, our farmers need marketing support. That's where the partnership must focus on,” she said. Pelayo said that he wants sweet sorghum to be cultivated after rice is harvested. This means a window of three months for farmers wanting to fully utilize their lands. Growing sweet sorghum takes three months while planting and harvesting sugarcane, a major source of ethanol, lasts 10 to 11 months. Agricultural lands in Cabiao span around 7,000 hectares while Candaba has almost 18,000 hectares. Reddy said trial productions indicated that ethanol production from sweet sorghum is “cost-effective,” with a ton producing 40 liters of biofuel. He said the crop has high water use efficiency. It can be propagated through seeds and the hybrid technology for it is in place. Among the five varieties being tested locally, SPV422 showed good results, Reddy said. “[The production of sweet sorghum] ensures both food and energy security and clean environment,” Reddy said. “This is a win-win situation for farms and industry.” Candaba has set aside two rooms at the Miss Earth Park’s training center for an extension campus of the Pampanga Agricultural College, through which Icrisat will assist local farmers. Also last week, Icrisat met with officials of the First Philippines Sweet Sorghum Corp. (FPSSC), a consortium of companies Pemdas Energy, Bapamin Enterprises and Full Advantage. Pemdas Energy, chaired by Patrick Pelayo, the mayor’s son, has been growing sweet sorghum in the last three years in parts of Central Luzon. With low crop production, Pemdas churns out 700 liters of ethanol daily through a distillery. “The bottleneck is in the harvest,” the younger Pelayo said. The lack of equipment for biofuel production makes the Philippines still dependent on imported ethanol, mostly from Brazil, he said. This happened although the Philippines has enacted the Biofuels Act of 2006 (Republic Act 9367) and the government has mandated the blending of ethanol with gasoline, he said. Reddy said Icrisat is ready to work with the consortium in terms of seed production and establishment of demonstration farms. FPSSC estimates that investments may cost $1,000 (P43,250) per hectare. Source: Phlloippine Daily Inquirer

The Philippines leads in alternate energy sources

A Global View

By Dr. Beth Day Romulo

April 13, 2011, 10:02pm

MANILA, Philippines – Fortunately for the Philippines, investment in alternate sources of energy began years ago. The Mak-Ban geothermal plant, which helps supply Manila’s energy needs, was constructed in 1979. Today, the Philippines get 17% of its power from alternate sources of energy such as geothermal, which makes it the leading developer of alternate energy in Asia, second only to the United States in the world in the development of geothermal energy sites.

Basic Energy Corp. recently announced plans to develop a 20-megawatt geothermal energy project in Batangas. Feasibility studies are under way to determine the best drilling locations; 60 prospective geothermal sites have already been identified. In addition to the actual production sites, feasibility studies must also include proximity to adequate infrastructure, transmission lines, and regional power demand.

Food and beverage giant San Miguel, which has expanded into power generation, is bidding for five geothermal and hydro power plants in Leyte which are being privatized by the government.

In Mindanao, the Energy Development Corp., in partnership with the Worldwide Fund for Nature, announced three new geothermal projects.

And the Delgado Group of companies’ energy arm, Energy Logics, is looking into the feasibility of both solar and wind projects in Ilocos Norte.

Studies of the Ilocos Norte area revealed that the site selected for four projected wind farms could also support solar power facilities. The distances between the wind turbines is so great, and the sunshine in that region is so reliable that solar facilities can be constructed on the same property along with the wind farms.

Power generation is expected to come on line within two years.

Switch to alternative fuel gets boost

By ELLSON A. QUISMORIO

April 8, 2011, 5:37pm

MANILA, Philippines -- Admitting it does not see oil prices dropping soon, the Department of Energy (DoE) said it will now push for a shift to alternative fuels, particularly in converting diesel and gasoline-fuelled vehicles.

The DoE said it is finalizing its Fueling Sustainable Transport Program (FSTP), which will serve as the key component in its “Alternative Fuels Roadmap.”

Currently being drafted by the agency’s Energy Utilization Management Bureau, the roadmap will serve as the fundamental policy framework on diversifying fuels for transport use in the Philippines.

Under the FSTP, the DoE will convert private and public utility vehicles running on conventional fuel so they can switch to compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and even electricity.

“It is a timely opportunity for the country to shift to alternative fuels. Alternative fuels have become a cost-effective option. Since these alternative fuels are cheaper, we will be able to confront the dynamics of oil price volatility,” the DoE said in a statement.

Through the FTSP, the government hopes to reduce the carbon footprint of road transport which accounts for around half of the total air pollutants in the country.

“Furthermore, these alternative resources are cleaner than conventional diesel and gasoline and thus significantly help in reducing our carbon footprint,” the agency noted.

The raging conflicts in Northern Africa and the Middle East, China’s increasing fuel consumption, the improving US economy and uncertainties in demand for the rehabilitation efforts in tsunami-ravaged Japan were some of the factors noted by DoE in forecasting the continued surge in pump prices.

The DoE said its roadmap is funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). With it, the FTSP is advancing the pilot phase of the electric tricycle program, even as the department eyes the launch of pilot run of electric and LPG jeeps by the end of the year.

According to the DoE, demonstration runs of electric buses and cars will

 

Understanding embodied energy

By Isabel Berenguer Asuncion
Philippine Daily Inquirer


HOW DO you attempt to help save the environment in simple and achievable ways?

While sustainable design is promoted aggressively as the alternative approach in design practice, sophisticated systems and high technology for environment-friendly finishes, alternative sources of power, filtration systems and materials can all be quite expensive. Aside from the cost of the systems themselves, there is also the cost of hiring consultants that can give advice on the suitability and proper utilization of the new systems.

There is also a need to properly detail the design so that it performs optimally and as intended. The simple exercise of designing a sustainable project sometimes becomes all too complicated and financially prohibitive.

A simpler approach would be to carefully pick the materials to be used. The prudent selection and usage of these can help in both cutting costs and savings in terms of carbon footprint.

One aspect of measure to consider for materials is “embodied energy.” This is the amount of energy that a material utilizes from the time it is acquired as a raw material, processed into a useful product, transported to its place of use, and installed or applied.

Embodied energy is important to understand since we often forget that there are various ways to produce a material and get it to its place of use. The amount of energy used can vary tremendously and can spell out in clear numbers how much damage its use can do to the environment.

Biodegradable

Because the purpose of environmental awareness is to decrease what we take from the earth and also to return into earth what we have taken, we often select materials that are biodegradable.

Sometimes what we take from the earth cannot be easily returned into it, but when it can be put to use for a prolonged period of time, it discourages frequent consumption and waste. For building materials, permanence and durability are two of the most important characteristics to consider.

While some materials may have low embodied energy, they may not be easily renewable materials. Natural stone is one example of this. It has very low embodied energy, yet it takes years for Mother Earth to produce it. Therefore there should be a certain amount of caution when using stone lest we one day run out of this material to harvest.

On the other hand, bamboo is an easily renewable material. Its use therefore, does not put much risk to the environment until it is processed into another type of material and its embodied energy increases. Laminated bamboo flooring, for instance, has lower embodied energy than high-pressure laminate flooring since for the latter, the production of the laminate alone takes a toll on the carbon footprint.

Difficult to reproduce

Wood is another material that has very low embodied energy, but unfortunately very difficult to reproduce. The massive deforestation globally proves that our usage has outrun its ability to renew. There are now sustainable tree farms but they are never enough for the high demand for timber. Sadly, many illegal loggers and middle-men still peddle local timber. We can only wish that consumers have enough conscience to veer from the temptation of using much prized narra and other local hardwood, and explore more sustainable alternatives.

Lower embodied energy does not necessarily define a better option. Aluminum has very high embodied energy but its use in buildings where its benefit runs to more than 50 years justifies its utilization as its embodied energy spreads through many, many years of use. Hopefully, there will be no need for its replacement during the building’s entire lifetime.

Embodied energy can be a very useful gauge for sustainability provided it is measured by its usage and lifespan. Depending on source, suppliers, methods, origin and site location, embodied energy of various materials, components and systems can vary greatly. As buildings become more energy-efficient and as the cost to operate them decreases, embodied energy becomes a more important factor. It is never the sole consideration for the selection of a material but it is a good place to start.