
Good leadership requires setting the right direction for everyone in the organization, but what if the direction everyone is aiming for is not really the right place to look at. The results can be disastrous.
Currently stuck in my house due to heavy rains, can’t go to the bank, missed my doctors appointment since my physician also could not come to the clinic, yes, climate change can disrupt personal errands and completion of simple things, specially if you are in a climate vulnerable location.
It took a while before I recognized the blaring difference between energy efficiency and power supply. Power supply is a policy decision while energy efficiency is a personal decision. I am trying to figure out how to change my blog categories making renewable energy and biofuels a subset of energy and energy efficiency and fuel efficiency as another subsets. I have been working lately more on the energy sector as a golden pot of opportunities in the energy sector, everyone in climate policy is looking at renewable energy but greater potential is in energy efficiency.
Things like off-grid and grid integrated concepts of energy supply makes much difference. It is a human right to see light in a dark night, to be more economically productive, for kids to study, to finish task and a house needs lighting. If that light takes its power from the grid, it contributes to carbon emissions because each watt of power used up some form of fossil fuel in the energy mix but if that light gets its power from a renewable source, a solar panel, wind turbine or microhydro run of the river or even a biogas generator, its basically zero emission. As long as we get something from the grid, we contribute to carbon emissions, but we have to acknowledge the fact that we need power to run things.
In doing development work, it is much more fulfilling to work on off-grid renewable energy than to grid-integrated renewable energy. Because grid-integration is riddled with politics and stakeholder interests. Thankfully, I’m not working on it.
Energy efficiency is a lot more personal, you go home and you turn the lights on, if its hot you turn-on the air conditioner and turn it off when its cold. Every month you get your electric bill, you monitor and verify if what you did, like buy a more efficient refrigerator or LED TV has an impact to your electric bill, and your so happy it does. A monthly reduction of a couple of thousand peso is worth the 15,000 peso Ref or 20,000 peso TV you bought last Christmas with your bonus. Maybe next year, high efficient air conditioner, who knows, there is such a thing as perfect karmic timing.