Opportunities for Direct Use of Geothermal Resources in the Bicol Region, Philippines

Abstract

The Philippines is the second largest geothermal energy power producer in the world with a total installed capacity of 1980 MW. Of this, Bicol Region accounts for 480 MWe installed capacity with an additional 130 MW on the pipeline. There are many identified surface thermal manifestations from the major thermal areas in the Bicol Region, which may be used for non-power use. Given these geothermal and other non-conventional and renewable sources of energy in the Bicol Region which can be tapped for power and non-power applications, growing importance should therefore be placed on the development and implementation of new programs and technologies to help provide the industry with the necessary technology.
As such, there are opportunities where researchers and technology developers can play a major role in bridging this gap. The researchers and the academe can position themselves as strategic service providers to the industry in terms of capacity building, training, information and knowledge sharing, resource and capability build-up and mobilization aside from its mandate of knowledge and technology generation, research and extension. Researches can be done along : enhancing the competitiveness of business and industry, food security & poverty reduction, gender and development , environment & natural resource management and developmental researches. Maximizing the indirect uses of geothermal energy partly depends upon the presence of specialists capable of conducting such research and development studies.
Among the studies conducted by the Bicol University College of Engineering were innovative proposals on the agro-industrial use of geothermal heat, utilization of waste silica, and environmental studies. These include geothermal resource assessments; utilization of waste in various industries such as the production of pesticide and hollow blocks from silica sludge, hand paper making, artificial incubation and brooding system, pool heating with prawn-tilapia aqua-culture, palay drying, flour manufacturing; irrigation and drinking water supply, soil sterilization, bio-fuels production, cloth dyeing, geothermal mud utilization, waste management, environmental studies and plant optimization studies.