Palau is still working at meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change, eyeing a massive shift to renewable energy to reduce its emissions by half in 2025.
Palau Public Utilities Corporation has earlier opened bids for a Solar PV plant incorporating energy storage capable of providing 35 MWh plus 45 MWh of energy storage, which when implemented, is seen as a key climate solution to lower emissions and achieve its National Determined Contribution (NDC).
Executive Director for Palau Energy Administration Joe Chilton said the NDC of Palau is as follows; 45 percent renewable energy target by 2025, 22 percent energy sector emissions reductions below 2005 levels by 2025, 35 percent energy efficiency target in 10 years.
By 2025, Chilton said Palau should be able to half its emissions with the use of renewable energy technology.
Although contributing less to global emissions, Palau is one of the countries, pledged ambitious targets to drive its emissions down.
Chilton said the use of renewable energy sources would also increase the energy security of the nation.
He said Palau would benefit from sustainable, reliable energy and less reliance on fossil fuel.
He said t several projects that are coming online by the end of this year will also contribute to achieving the targets by at least 8 percent in 2019.
“For a small island nation like Palau, we can show the biggest emitters that we can do this,” Chilton said
“We are demanding change from emitters but we also need to be the change we want the emitters to be, “ he added,
This week close to 200 countries, including Palau will discuss what they’re doing to tackle climate change.
The 25th annual Conference of the Parties (COP 25) held in Madrid, Spain “ is a key moment for the world to come together and explore how they’ll reduce rising temperatures.”
Scientists have recommended that to abate the Earth’s warming, temperature increases should be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial era levels.
For small island nations like Palau, sea-level rise could threaten its existence due to climate change. (Bernadette Carreon)