The Climate Reality Project Philippines recently highlighted the Green Energy Option Programme (GEOP), an initiative to transition hospitals and health facilities to cleaner and more affordable energy, at their event, "Realize for Hospitals: Empowering a Climate-Resilient Health Sector with Renewable Energy," held on May 13 in the Philippines.
Health Care Without Harm organized the event.
Assistant Secretary Charade B. Mercado-Grande from the country’s Department of Health (DOH) expressed strong support for the GEOP.
"We want to have an efficient health infrastructure with the goal of decarbonizing. We are extremely excited about GEOP," she said, adding that "we want to incorporate green initiatives at an early stage, knowing that our operations are 24/7.”
The DOH's 8-Point Action Agenda, a comprehensive plan outlining strategies to provide Filipino communities with holistic healthcare services, includes a key strategy known as "Handa sa Krisis” (ready for crisis).
This strategy aims to foster the development of green health facilities and low-carbon infrastructure, where renewable energy is the cornerstone.
According to the Department of Energy's (DOE) Grid Planning and Competitive Renewable Energy Zones in the Philippines Report, the hydropower resource alone can harness 655,034 megawatts, which significantly exceeds the country’s peak demand of 16,000 megawatts.
Renewable energy, as an indigenous resource, meets Filipinos' energy needs cost-effectively.
Matthew Carpio, Head of Transaction Advisory at Climate Smart Ventures, lauded the DOE’s initiatives to expand the development and utilization of renewable energy in the country.
He declared, "Power generation has liberated us. DOE just came out with new standards for 100% foreign ownership. It unlocked a new set of investors that were not previously open to the Philippines.”
The event also highlighted the urgency for the national government to decarbonize health sectors by powering operations with 100% renewable energy, investing in zero-emission infrastructure, producing low-carbon pharmaceuticals, and implementing circularity within the healthcare system.
GEOP is a pathway for the healthcare sector to begin its transition to cleaner energy and attain its net-zero agenda.
Hospitals with a monthly average peak demand of at least 100 kWh can choose renewable energy as their power source without incurring upfront costs.
This protects hospitals from fossil fuel crises and price volatility in the global market.
Nazrin Camille Castro, the Branch Manager of The Climate Reality Project Philippines, said, “Through GEOP, hospitals can source 100% of their power from renewable energy resources without spending on infrastructure, significantly reducing their carbon footprint and achieving substantial power cost savings."
"This makes GEOP an ideal springboard for the healthcare sector’s journey towards decarbonization,” she added.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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