Image by The Wind Ninja
How much is a wind farm worth? For Ilocos' Wind Farm, it will set the region back a good 14.4 Billion Pesos.
A lay Filipino may exclaim that this budget for alternative energy may be frivolous and not worth the price. He may even clamor that the budget be used for more useful endeavors like education instead.
However, if you think about it, these are the facts:
- The world's petroleum resources are dwindling. It is said that by the year 2050, we would already have an energy crisis on our hands.
- Petroleum energy has pollutants as byproducts. This adds to our world's carbon footprint, creating greenhouse gases and global warming.
- Transporting petrol has resulted in oil spills, damaging the environment in ways that would take decades for nature to recover.
That being said, even a high cost to start a project to create more alternative energy sources may well be worth the premium.
The benefits of switching to alternative energy, especially wind and solar energy are numerous. For one, the regions who subscribe to it would be reducing their carbon footprint and creating more stable electricity service for their areas. Another benefit would be that over time, the initial investment in wind or solar energy equipment would be made up by less dependence on importing petrol. Not only that, kinetic energy (in the form of wind) that otherwise would have gone to waste would finally be made use of.
Ilocos is an ideal location for a Wind Farm. The winds on its shores are very strong, owing to the fact that it is located on an exposed part of the Philippine Islands. Strong but stable winds from the seas would be more than able to power its wind turbines.
Other parts of the country would be better for other forms of alternative energy. It really depends on what resource is abundant in the area.
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