The energy situation has been a hot topic for some time now and the term “trilemma” always comes up. Read on to find out what it’s all about and how it affects you.
Power outages, skyrocketing fuel prices, and unprecedented climate conditions have placed the issue of energy front and center. What’s going on, we ask? No doubt the energy situation is affecting our everyday lives. Now we are learning that if we don’t do something soon to mitigate an energy crisis, it can impact our future as well.
In finding solutions to the energy situation, experts speak about the energy trilemma. Simply put, it’s a trilemma of climate policy. To understand this, let’s look at the three dimensions that make up the trilemma.
Sustainability
Energy has enabled us to accomplish a lot of things. It has made our lives better and led us to economic development. Because people strive for progress, the demand for energy keeps increasing. However, we now know that the energy that we consume from fossil fuels causes great harm to the environment. The ecological destruction brought forth by sourcing and generating energy has caused destructive climate conditions. Thus, there is conflict between energy as a force for human progress and the need to reduce carbon emissions that cause climate change.
Sustainability isn’t the only variable to consider in solving the energy problem, however.
Equity
Bringing progress to the countryside is the government’s goal. With the aim of 100% electrification, remote and underserved communities are slowly being connected to the grid so that they can enjoy the benefits of electricity such as generating income and commercial development.
But making electricity accessible does not come without costs. Electrification of remote areas involves significant investments in infrastructure especially with the country’s unique geography as an archipelago. According to the 2023-2032 National Total Electrification Roadmap of the Department of Energy (DOE), “to meet the total electrification target, a total of PhP70.473 billion will be required to support the NEA and DOE projects to energize 1.402 million households.”
Aside from the costs of connecting remote households to the grid, another factor to consider is the energy source. Because of the dominance of coal power plants in the country, electricity from coal is the easiest to access. It is also the cheapest. But energy that is sourced from fossil fuels is not sustainable–fossil fuels are a finite resource and will soon run out; they are also a harmful pollutant and cause global warming.
Renewable energy sources are a more sustainable option but without large-scale storage and delivery systems, may not be able to provide continuous supply, especially to areas far away from wind farms or solar power plants.
Providing energy access conflicts with sustainability but it also clashes against energy security.
Security
Human progress goes hand in hand with increased need for electricity and fuel. Right now, the Philippines relies on imported coal and gas. Because fossil fuels are getting scarce, costs are going up and this translates to high prices of electricity and gasoline.
When countries vie for control over energy resources, tensions and conflicts can also disrupt the supply chain. Energy security is also threatened by severe weather events and wars.
Digitalization is another factor that impacts energy security. While modernizing grids make energy delivery more efficient, it also makes the system vulnerable to cyber attacks. There is also the increased need for raw materials (metals and rare earth minerals) that are used to make computer chips, batteries, and other computer parts.
To achieve energy security, a nation must be able to “meet current and future energy demand reliably and withstand and bounce back swiftly from system shocks with minimal disruption to supplies,” according to the World Energy Council.
While national progress is ideal, the energy demand for this, as well as its impact on the environment, affects our security as a nation.
The energy trilemma affects the supply, the price, and the future of energy we need daily to live, work, and get from one place to another. Just as the dimensions–sustainability, equity, and security–are interconnected, we should also note our role as a part of a wider community and citizen of the earth.
Being conscious of the energy we use, and saving where and when we can, can lower energy demand and keep prices down. Choosing renewable energy even if it comes at a higher cost can aid the transition away from polluting fossil fuels. We also need to collaborate with our communities and policymakers more than ever to find innovative solutions that support current and future generations. With a common purpose, alignment, and investment, we can work collectively to achieve a brighter, more sustainable future.
References:
Tocock, Mark;Tinch, Dugald;Hatton MacDonald, Darla (2023) Managing the energy trilemma of reliability, affordability and renewables: Assessing consumer demands with discrete choice experiments.
Shirazi, Masoud;Fuinhas, José Alberto;Silva, Nuno (2023) Sustainable economic development and geopolitics: The role of energy trilemma policies.
https://www.worldenergy.org/transition-toolkit/world-energy-trilemma-framework
https://icpac.medium.com/energy-and-climate-the-dilemma-trilemma-and-quadrilemma-839a8d657369
https://warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/knowledgecentre/society/politics/energy_trilema
https://energsustainsoc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13705-021-00309-1
https://doe.gov.ph/announcements/2023-2032-national-total-electrification-roadmap