Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and flow of electric charge.

Electricity gives a wide variety of well-known effects, such aslightning, static electricity, electromagnetic induction and the flow of electrical current. In addition, electricity permits the creation and reception of electromagnetic radiation such as radio waves.
The Department of Energy is prepared to spend a staggering P33 billion over the next five years, to provide electricity to more households in remote areas. Energy Secretary Jose Rene D. Almendras said on Thursday in a statement that the record figure was arrived at after a consultation with project contractors and manufacturers and suppliers of materials needed for the electrification projects. During the meeting, the DOE sought the full support of the private sector, as it wanted the companies to do their share by ensuring quality materials and reasonable prices. Rural electrification is a program that has the approval of the President and both houses of Congress because it is good for the economy, for the Philippines and for the Filipinos. Lets work together to sustain this program, Almendras said. The energy chief explained that the governments aggressive and renewed thrust towards achieving at least 90 percent household electrification by 2017 was rooted on the belief that electricity stimulates economic growth in the rural areas where it is needed the most. Last year, the DOE and the National Electrification Administration were able to provide electricity to 1,520 sitios within a record period of just 90 days. This P814-million rural electrification project, which was carried out in the last quarter of 2011, is now benefiting over 30,000 households. This year, the DOE has earmarked as much as P5 billion to fund crucial rural electrification projects.
Electricity was first introduced in the Philippines in 1890. In the decades that followed, private companies were largely responsible for development and control of electricity supply, while the government regulated installation. In 1936, the National Power Corporation (NPC) was created to develop the countrys hydroelectric resources. By 1969, out of the total generating capacity of 1,750 megawatts (MW), the NPC contributed 585 MW, the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) provided 990 MW and remaining companies supplied the remaining 175 MW.

In 1960, the Philippine government declared total electrification of the country as a national policy objective and created the Electrification Administration to implement it. To encourage privatesector participation, the government awarded private companies franchise to set up local distribution systems in rural areas. These private companies sourced power either by generating their own or by making bulk purchases from the NPC. By 1969, the Electrification Administration (EA) had helped to establish 217 small systems, each with fewer than 500 kilowatts (kW) of capacity, throughout the country. However, technical and financial problems caused many of these systems to shut down. Thus, by the early 1970s, only about 18% of the Philippine population had access to electricity. The second phase of the rural electrification program planned for the establishment of 36 RECs, each covering a franchise area of about 100,000 people. These RECs were to act as self-governing distribution agencies operated by buying bulk electricity from the NPC. The NEA was granted power to establish and oversee the RECs, to make loans, acquire physical property and franchise rights of existing suppliers, and borrow funds to implement national electrification. Involvement of local communities was a key element in the planned rural electrification program. By using the cooperative approach, the program could devolve management to the local level, whereby local communities could actively participate in the system. However, the Philippines had a history of cooperative failures. During the 1950s, loans to the Agricultural Credit and Cooperative Financing Administration (ACCFA) and water-user associations were misused and went unpaid. Despite this poor record, the RECs were viewed as the best way to distribute electricity to rural areas. During the 1970s, the rural electrification program expanded quickly as a result of strong government support and financial assistance from international banks and donor agencies (Denton 1979). By 1980, 120 RECs had been established, servicing more than one million customers. With such rapid expansion, however, major problems soon emerged and began to escalate. By the mid-1970s, the strict criteria initially used to establish and operate the RECs were abandoned. The RECs could

now be established in non-viable areas, were managed within a culture of political patronage and political pressure, and were charged unrealistically low tariffs, insufficient for covering their costs. Payment collection levels were poor and electricity systems were poorly maintained. Such problems continued and worsened during the 1980s. In response, the Philippine government and the World Bank carried out a joint review of the rural electrification program (World Bank 1989). This assessment found that most RECs faced operational and financial challenges. Only 22 (18.8%) of the 117 RECs were categorized as well managed and commercially viable; 24 (20.5%) as within reach of commercial viability; and the remaining 71 (60.7%) as needing substantial remedial action or beyond rescue.

The term off-grid refers to not being connected to a grid, mainly used in terms of not being connected to the main or national transmission grid in electricity. In electricity offgrid can be stand-alone systems (SHS) or mini-grids typically to provide a smaller community with electricity. Off-grid electrification is an approach to access electricity used in countries and areas with little access to electricity, due to scattered or distant population. It can be any kind of electricity generation. The term off-the-grid (OTG) can refer to living in a self-sufficient manner without reliance on one or more public utilities. Off-the-grid homes are autonomous; they do not rely on municipal water supply, sewer, natural gas, electrical power grid, or similar utility services. A true off-grid house is able to operate completely independently of all traditional public utility services. The idea has been recently popularized by certain celebrities including Ed Begley, Jr. [1] who stars in Living with Ed[2] television show on the Home & Garden Television network. Actress Daryl Hannah promotes off-grid living and constructed her home in Colorado according to those principles, as does survival expert and Dual Survival co-star Cody Lundin[3] who lives in a self-designed, passive solar earth home in the high-desert wilderness of Northern Arizona, collecting rainwater, composting waste and paying nothing for utilities.[4][5]
Contents
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1 Electrical power 2 Water 3 Popularity 4 Environmental impact 4.1 Environmental concerns in Canadian off-grid communities 5 Economic consideration 6 Off-grid Photovoltaic 7 Africa 8 See also 9 Gallery 10 References 11 External links

Electrical power[edit source]

Electrical power can be generated on-site with renewable energy sources such as solar, wind or geothermal; with a generator and adequate fuel reserves; or simply done without, as in Amish and Old Order Mennonite communities. Such a system is called a stand-alone power system.

Water[edit source]
On-site water sources can include a well, stream, or lake. Depending on the water source, this may include pumps and/or filtration. Rainwater can also be harvested. Filters can be advanced running off an energy source of boiling and storage.

Popularity[edit source]
On 13 April 2006, USA Today reported that there were "some 180,000 families living off-grid, a figure that has jumped 33% a year for a decade," and cited Richard Perez, publisher of Home Power Magazine,[6] as the source.[7] Assuming the same rate of growth, there would be a quarter million off-grid households in the United States by late

2007. Because many Third World citizens have never had the chance to go on the grid, current estimates are that 1.7 billion people live off-grid worldwide. [8]

Environmental impact[edit source]

The State of California is encouraging solar and wind power generation that is connected to the electrical grid to avoid the use of toxic lead acid batteries for night time storage.[9]Grid-tie systems are generally less expensive than off-grid systems due to the lack of additional equipment like charge controllers and the batteries. However, some systems may mitigate this difference by using old car batteries that can no longer supply enough current to start a car.[10] Going off-grid can be done for altruistic reasons or to lower the environmental impact of living, as the typically limited amount of on-site renewable energy available is an incentive to reduce its use. But if energy usage is not reduced, going off-grid actually has a larger environmental impact versus using the grid, due to the lower efficiencies of the components. It is often done to residential buildings only occasionally occupied, such as vacation cabins, to avoid high initial costs of traditional utility connections. Other persons choose to live in houses where the cost of outside utilities is prohibitive, or such a distance away as to be impractical. In his book "How to live off-grid" Nick Rosen lists seven reasons for going off-grid. The top two are saving money, and reducing the carbon footprint. Others include survivalists, preparing for the collapse of the oil economy and bringing life back to the countryside.

An electrical grid is an interconnected network for delivering electricity from suppliers to consumers. It consists of generating stations that produce electrical power, highvoltage transmission lines that carry power from distant sources to demand centers, and distribution lines that connect individual customers. [1] Power stations may be located near a fuel source, at a dam site, or to take advantage of renewable energy sources, and are often located away from heavily populated areas. They are usually quite large to take advantage of the economies of scale. The electric power which is generated is stepped up to a higher voltage-at which it connects to the transmission network. The transmission network will move the power long distances, sometimes across international boundaries, until it reaches its wholesale customer (usually the company that owns the local distribution network).

On arrival at a substation, the power will be stepped down from a transmission level voltage to a distribution level voltage. As it exits the substation, it enters the distribution wiring. Finally, upon arrival at the service location, the power is stepped down again from the distribution voltage to the required service voltage(s).
The term grid usually refers to a network, and should not be taken to imply a particular physical layout or breadth. Grid may also be used to refer to an entire continent's electrical network, a regional transmission network or may be used to describe a subnetwork such as a local utility's transmission grid or distribution grid.

EPIRA (R. A. 9136)

What is the ELECTRIC POWER INDUSTRY REFORM ACT of 2001 (R.A. 9136)? On June 8, 2001, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law Republic Act 9136, or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001. The said enactment was the culmination of more than seven years of public hearings and floor deliberations on various versions of the said measure in Congress. Among other benefits, RA 9136 is designed to bring down electricity rates and to improve the delivery of power supply to end-users by encouraging greater competition and efficiency in the electricity industry. The essence of these reforms is giving stakeholders a CHOICE.

Now that RA 9136 is in place, what reforms will be instituted in the power industry? Two major reforms are embodied in RA 9136, namely, the restructuring of the electricity supply industry and the privatization of the National Power Corporation (NPC). The restructuring of the electricity industry calls for the separation of the different components of the power sector namely, generation, transmission, distribution and supply (please see diagram on page 2). On the other hand, the privatization of the National Power Corporation (NPC) involves the sale of the state-owned power firm's generation and transmission assets (e.g., power plants and transmission facilities) to private investors. These two reforms are aimed at encouraging greater competition and at attracting more private-sector investments in the power industry. A more competitive power industry will in turn result in lower power rates and a more efficient delivery of electricity supply to end-users. With restructuring, will the power industry be fully deregulated? How can government ensure that consumers will be protected from undue and frequent increases in power rates?

No, only generation and supply will be deregulated. Distribution and transmission will continue to be regulated by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). Under RA 9136, government will create an independent, quasi-judicial regulatory body called the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to replace the Energy Regulatory Board. The Commission will be made up of a Chairman and four Commissioners, all of whom will be appointed by the President of the Philippines. The ERC will be tasked to promote competition in the power sector, encourage market development and ensure customer choice. Compared to its predecessor, the ERC will have stronger and broader powers in the sense that it will be authorized not only to correct but to prevent and penalize anticompetitive practices. It will also be given certain rate-setting functions. Are there any safeguards in the law to prevent certain business groups or blocs from dominating the restructured power industry? To promote true competition and prevent monopolistic practices, RA 9136 provides for explicit caps or limits on the volume of electricity that a distribution utility can buy from an affiliated company that is engaged in power generation. Likewise, the law also provides that "no company or related group can own, operate or control more than 30 percent of the installed capacity of a grid and/or 25 percent of the national installed generating capacity". How sure are we that power rates will indeed go down? Are there any pro-poor provisions in RA 9136? Under RA 9136, NPC is mandated to reduce its rates for residential consumers by 30 centavos per kilowatt-hour immediately upon the effectivity of the said law. It also provides for a subsidized "lifeline" rate for marginalized or low-income electricity consumers. This will ensure that such consumers will not have to contend with higher power rates even when the cross-subsidies on electricity tariffs are removed with the restructuring of the power sector. Finally, the bill mandates NPC to carry on with its missionary function of providing electricity to non-viable, far-flung areas in the countryside even after its privatization. How will the privatization of NPC be carried out? Under RA 9136, NPC's generation and transmission facilities, real estate properties and other disposable assets, as well as its existing power supply contracts with independent power producers (IPPs), shall be privatized. The exact manner and mode by which these assets will be sold will be determined by the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (PSALM) Corporation, a government-owned and controlled corporation that will take over the ownership of all of NPC's assets. PSALM will also be tasked to manage the orderly sale, disposition and privatization of NPC, with the objective of liquidating all of NPC's financial obligations and stranded contract costs in an optimal manner.

How can government ensure that the proceeds from the sale of NPC assets will be optimized? A set of criteria in the grouping of NPC assets will be considered. These criteria include financial viability, efficiency of operations, and management and operational synergy. Furthermore, all assets of NPC shall be sold in a open and transparent manner through public bidding. Will NPC power plants that run on hydro and steam be privatized also? Initially, NPC's Agus and Pulangui hydroelectric power complexes, both located in Mindanao, shall be excluded from the privatization program. Its privatization will be left to the discretion of the PSALM Corp., in consultation with Congress. RA 9136 further specifies that the two hydro plants may not be privatized earlier than 10 years from the effectivity of the said law. As for NPC's geothermal facilities (e.g., Tiwi-Makban, Leyte A and B (Tongonan), Palinpinon and Mt. Apo), RA 9136 states that the steamfield assets and the power plants of each of the said complexes shall not be sold separately. Rather, they shall be combined and each complex will be sold as one package through a public bidding.
SEC. 4. Definition of Terms. (a) Aggregator refers to a person or entity, engaged in consolidating electric power demand of end-users in the contestable market, for the purpose of purchasing and reselling electricity on a group basis; (b) Ancillary Services refer to those services that are necessary to support the transmission of capacity and energy from resources to loads while maintaining reliable operation of the transmission system in accordance with good utility practice and the Grid code to be adopted in accordance with this Act; (c) Captive Market refers to electricity end-users who do not have the choice of a supplier of electricity, as may be determined by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) in accordance

with this Act; (d) Central Dispatch refers to the process of issuing direct instructions to electric power industry participants by the grid operator to achieve the economic operation and maintenance of quality, stability, reliability and security of the transmission system; (e) Co-Generation Facility refers to a facility which produces electrical an/or mechanical energy and forms of useful thermal energy such as heat or steam which are used for industrial commercial heating or cooling purposes through the sequential use of energy; (f) Commission refers to the decision-making body of the ERC composed of a Chairman and four (4) members as provided under Section 38 hereof; (g) Concession Contract refers to the award by the government to a qualified private entity of the responsibility for financing, operating, expanding, maintaining and managing specific Government-owned assets; (h) Contestable Market refers to the electricity end-users who have a choice of a supplier of electricity, as may be determined by the ERC in accordance with this Act; (i) Customer Service Charge refers to the component in the retail rate intended for the cost recovery of customer-related services including, but not limited to, meter reading, billing administration and collection; (j) Demand Side Management refers to measures undertaken by distribution utilities to encourage end-users in the proper management of their load to achieve efficiency in the

utilization of fixed infrastructures in the system; (k) Department of Energy or DOE refers to the government agency created pursuant to Republic Act No. 7638 whose expanded functions are provided herein; (l) Department of Finance or DOF refers to the government agency created pursuant to Executive Order No. 127; (m) Distribution Code refers to a compilation of rules and regulations governing electric utilities in the operation and maintenance of their distribution systems which includes, among others, the standards for service and performance, and defines and establishes the relationship of the distribution systems with the facilities or installations of the parties connected thereto;