DOE: Daylight saving time no solution to power crisis

The Department of Energy has dismissed Congress' suggestion to use daylight saving time to help address a looming power crisis next year, a report on GMA's “State of the Nation” program said Friday.

The suggestion was made by LPG Marketers' Association party-list Representative Arnel Ty who said adapting the system could help the country conserve energy.

Under daylight saving time, clocks are set an hour in advance so schools and offices open and close earlier.

“Parang ginagamit natin 'yung daylight, 'yung sinag ng araw na hindi na tayo gagamit ng ilaw, usually sa lighting,” DOE Senior Science Research Specialist Maximo Rodriguez said.

The Energy department said the system, which was adopted during President Corazon Aquino's administration, is impractical.

Citing their study in 1993, the DOE said the average savings on the Luzon grid under DST would be just 0.3 percent or 150 megawatt hours.

It added that these savings are not significant compared to other countries that applied DST since daylight in the Philippines is much shorter.

The DOE also said that even if the Philippines uses DST,  the hot climate in the country might result in consumers turning on their cooling gadgets earlier.

The Trade Union congress of the Philippines (TUCP) agrees with the Energy department.

“Bakit di sabihin na ayusin niyo na muna ngayon yung mga planta niyo na yan. Bakit ang manggagawa ang magsasakripisyo?” TUCP Executive Director Louie Corral said.

“The issue here would also be whether the public transport would be very efficient considering that many workers will be reporting earlier,” TUCP National Executive Vice President Gerard Seno added.

The DOE earlier warned of a looming power crisis in 2015 which prompted them to recommend the issuing of emergency powers to President Benigno Aquino III. — Andrei Medina/JDS, GMA News