First Gen Corporation’s solutions offer industries more sustainable power sources
As the earth continues to tackle climate change amid the ongoing battle against COVID-19, there is a greater call now for sectors and businesses to further consider the use of clean and more sustainable energy to power their workplaces and establishments.
Clean energy, mostly coming from renewable sources, can now be as competitive and as reliable as traditional energy sources with little to no carbon emitted to the environment.
For instance, generating geothermal energy does not produce greenhouse gases since geothermal plants simply use the high temperatures from beneath the earth to do the job. Hydropower does not also create pollution since the energy is just converted from flowing water into electricity. Wind has one of the lowest environmental impacts as it produces zero emissions and saves a lot of water every year. Solar energy, meanwhile, is considered the cleanest and most abundant renewable energy source available.
The clean nature of these sources makes them better suited to power an organization’s operations. Businesses, in turn, can contribute to lessening emissions and environmental impact without compromising their businesses’ efficiency and productivity.
Such opportunities to tap renewables are opening up for businesses as customers are now looking to support more socially and environmentally responsible companies.
With this, First Gen Corporation (First Gen) find that more and more businesses are now looking into getting power from clean and renewable sources.
“If businesses want to cater to this growing market, then they need to be able to say that they comply with environmental practices such as using clean and renewable energy,” Ricky Carandang, Vice President of First Gen, one of the leading providers of clean and renewable power in the Philippines, said in an e-mail.
Some businesses, however, might wonder how they can bring clean energy into their operations. “They can start with learning about where their electricity comes from and researching about potential power source options. This way, they learn more about how they can find the most suitable power source for their businesses,” Mr. Carandang advised.
“With policies having been put in place to allow consumers of electricity to choose their power supplier, businesses now have better opportunities to maximize the benefits of clean energy,” he added.
“If business owners have a small manufacturing facility or a building, and if they consume an average peak demand of 100 kW and above, perhaps it might be worth their time to explore sourcing directly from clean and renewable energy suppliers, because they might find that it can be as affordable and reliable as other traditional energy sources,” Mr. Carandang said.
A partner towards sustainability
Grounded on a purpose of creating symbiotic and mutually beneficial relationships with nature and society, First Gen is committed to power businesses sustainably.
First Gen believes that by providing businesses with efficient and stable clean energy solutions, they are leading the path towards a decarbonized future. Forming these partnerships is seen by the company as a step towards a renewed future that is beneficial for all — businesses, communities, and the environment.
For more than a decade, even before global warming became a mainstream issue, First Gen has been producing clean energy.
In 1997, the firm pioneered the development of natural gas plants which produce cleaner energy than coal-fired power plants. The company currently has four natural gas plants in Batangas, namely the 1,000-megawatt (MW) Santa Rita, 500-MW San Lorenzo, 420-MW San Gabriel, and 97-MW Avion.
Foreseeing the need to shift to renewable energy, even before the current pandemic stressed it further, First Gen Corporation invested in geothermal energy in the mid-2000s. The firm now has the largest portfolio of geothermal plants in the country, including the 130-MW Bacon-Manito plant in Sorsogon and Albay, the 603.7-MW Unified Leyte Geothermal Power Plants, and the 103.2-MW Mindanao 1 and 2 plants in North Cotabato.
The company’s natural gas and geothermal power plants complement their renewable assets, such as the 150-MW Burgos Wind Power Project in Ilocos Norte, the largest wind farm in the country to date; hydropower plants like the Pantabangan-Masiway in Nueva Ecija and Agusan Run-of-River in Bukidnon; and solar rooftop projects installed in Iloilo, Leyte, Cebu, and Sorsogon.
Discover more about First Gen’s energy solutions for businesses by visiting www.firstgen.com.ph.
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