Fossil fuel far from over

Fossil fuel far from over | Daily Tribune

The country is again being forced to adopt a failed Western technology, specifically the shift to renewable energy (RE), which is particularly unapplicable to a developing nation that requires affordable electricity for its survival.

The country has been led astray by a narrative promoted by Western environmental advocates and renewable energy proponents, suggesting that fossil fuels are outdated and that renewables are the inevitable future, which is far from reality. As renewables are unreliable and still in their early stages of development, this narrative is far from accurate.

Global energy trends, economic realities, and the Philippines’ unique developmental needs suggest that fossil fuels will continue to be a critical and reliable energy source.

Developed nations are responsible for promoting renewable energy as a means to cover up their moral responsibility, as they are the largest source of toxic emissions.

Despite decades of hype, green energy has largely failed to deliver on its promises, and it risks turning developing nations into a dumping ground for outdated, inefficient technologies peddled by interest groups under the guise of environmental advocacy.

According to recent estimates, renewables currently account for only a small portion of global energy consumption. Despite significant investments and policy support since 2010, the growth of renewables has been unreliable.

At current trends, the world would not achieve 100-percent renewable energy until 2392, a timeline that is so distant it renders the transition impractical, particularly for addressing immediate energy needs.

Even China, which ironically is now the world’s largest investor in renewables, remains predominantly fossil-fuel powered and is projected to reach 100 percent renewables only by 2031.

Claims that renewables are a viable near-term solution are thus hollow. The slow progress of renewables is not due to a lack of effort, but rather to inherent limitations of the technology, according to experts.

Solar and wind power, the cornerstones of the renewable revolution, are intermittent and weather-dependent, requiring expensive backup systems or storage solutions that remain technologically and economically prohibitive at scale.

For instance, battery storage for grid-scale renewable energy is costly, with global capacity still measured in mere hours of backup power.

Fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and natural gas, have nearly tripled in absolute terms alongside renewables, demonstrating their enduring reliability and scalability in meeting the world’s growing energy demands.

For a nation striving to industrialize and lift millions out of poverty, fossil fuels offer a proven and cost-effective path to energy security.

Coal and natural gas plants can provide consistent, baseload power that renewables cannot match. The energy demand is projected to grow significantly in the coming decades, driven by population growth, urbanization, and industrial expansion.

Renewables also require vast land areas and complex infrastructure, unlike fossil fuel plants that can be deployed efficiently and scaled to meet national needs.

Fossil fuels, particularly coal, remain among the cheapest sources of electricity per kilowatt-hour when factoring in infrastructure, maintenance, and reliability.

In contrast, renewable energy projects often come with hidden costs, including subsidies, grid upgrades, and backup systems, which can inflate electricity prices.

Renewables can play a complementary role in the energy mix, particularly in off-grid areas where small-scale solar or micro-hydropower can provide localized solutions. However, relying on renewables as the primary energy source is neither feasible nor desirable given their current limitations and the nation’s developmental imperatives.

The global failure of renewables to deliver on their promises — evidenced by their stagnant 14.2-percent share of energy production and the centuries-long timeline for a complete transition — underscores their inadequacy for a developing nation.

The Philippines must not become a testing ground for Western technologies that have faltered even in the countries that pioneered them. By embracing fossil fuels as a pragmatic cornerstone of its energy strategy, the Philippines can secure a future of energy independence, affordability, and economic progress, free from the constraints of misguided environmental advocacy.

The era of fossil fuels is far from over; instead, it will, like any other technology, evolve to provide the cleanest and most reliable source of energy at the lowest cost. Humans are known to adapt when they have to.