Foreign Literature

The dawn of the third millennium pave way to the emergence of modern technology. The

reliance to electricity-powered devices increased. Because of this, the electricity consumption

throughout the world rose exponentially. According to T. Wang of Statista (2019), the electricity

consumption had risen for a total of 7301.2 terawatt hours for the last two decades. In the

Philippines, electricity consumption increased by 4% (Business World, 2017). And based on the

World Bank (2019), the world consumed an estimated amount of 1.92 kilograms of oil per capita

in the production of electricity. With all the breakthroughs through the technological revolution,

the electricity production could not cope up with the electricity supply demand causing different

electric shortage throughout the world (Data World Bank, 2019).

Many industries are currently running on electric-powered technologies. Despite these

innovations, electricity crisis is still experienced in the different parts of the world.

The energy crisis is the concern that the world’s demands on the limited natural resources that

are used to power industrial society are diminishing as the demand rises. These natural resources

are in limited supply. While they do occur naturally, it can take hundreds of thousands of years

to replenish the stores (Rinkesh, 2017).

An estimated average of 57.4 firms in the world experienced power shortages in 2018, based on

Data World Bank (2019). Last June 2019, a major power outage was experienced in six different

countries in the South America. Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina all lost their electricity

supply for almost a day. Power shortage was also experienced at some parts of Brazil and Chile.

Based on CNN (2019), the power outage was the first generalized blackout in the history of

Argentina. An estimate of 55 million consumers in the countries of Uruguay, Paraguay, and

Argentina were said to have had experienced the black outs for almost a day. Major power

outage was also experienced in Puerto Rico on 2018. Vox News (2018) estimated that around 1.5

million consumers were affected by the power outage. CNN (2018) said that 6.5 billion hours

without electricity was endured by the consumers which makes it the second-longest black out in

the world. It took 330 days to restore power on some parts of Puerto Rico. In February of 2019,

South Africa experienced electric shortage and needed to cut 3 million consumers equivalent to

4000 megawatts to avoid the national grid from collapsing. The electric shortage was a direct

consequence of the shortage of coal used in the production of electricity. Because of this, the

country was forced to use the expensive diesel-powered gas turbines more often (The Economist,

2019).

The power outages reflected the negative effects of the reliance to non-renewable resources,

commonly fossil fuels, in generating commercial electricity. Once the supply of non-renewable

resources is inadequate, electric shortage will immediately occur. Also, using non-renewable

resources in generating electricity directly affects the environment and the societies near the

power plant. According to Greentumble (2017), 7 million people pass away annually because of

pollution and 19 thousand people die from fossil fuels every day. This is because of the direct

impact of the usage of fossil fuels to the wellbeing of humans. Not only do the usage of fossil

fuels in generating electricity harms humans, it also endangers different species throughout the

world because of the carbon dioxide emitted by the power plants which directly cause global

warming. An estimate made by the World Wildlife Fund (2015) said that around 700 different

species are in risk of extinction because of global warming.

However, carbon dioxide emissions continue to grow an average of 1.8% from 2018 – 2017

(WRI, 2019). And in 2019, due to global warming, the number of hot days increased causing for
the demand of electricity to rise causing carbon emissions to hit a record high 2.7% increase

from 2018 which was the largest increase since 2011 (The Economist, 2019). This and many

environmental factors put pressure to governments throughout the world in enhancing

sustainable energy as primary source of electricity.

There are already countries using renewable resources as their primary source of electricity.

Examples of these are Iceland, Costa Rica, United Kingdom, and Germany (Click Energy, 2017).

Iceland is dubbed the cleanest electricity country in the world because almost 100% of their

electricity is generated from renewable resources. Renewable resources also run the whole

country of Costa Rica, with a population of more than 4.5 million people, for almost two years.

In the United Kingdom, grid-connected wind farms are being used to power houses more than

the coal power plants. And in 2015, 78% of Germany’s electric supply demand was meet by

using renewable resources alone (National Geographic, 2015).

Renewable resources are resources that can be restored easily. According to Investopedia

A renewable resource is a substance of economic value that can be replaced or

replenished in the same or less amount of time than it takes to draw the supply down. Some

renewable resources have, essentially, an endless supply such as solar energy, wind energy, and

geothermal pressure, whereas other resources are considered renewable even though some time

or effort must go into their renewal (Banton, 2019).

Using renewable energy sources has positive effects that could increase the economic

growth of a country. Economic growth is directly related to development of renewable resources

because renewable resources limits the expenses of a nation and the negative impacts to the

environment which may cause lesser production of goods (Xiu, 2018). In European countries,
renewable energy sources are concluded to be one of the major factors that determine the

economic status of a country (Stamatis, 2017).

Thermoelectric generator is an example of renewable energy resources because the

requirements to generate electricity is easy to replenish. The thermoelectric generator runs by

utilizing the thermoelectric effect. Thermoelectric effect is the manifestation of Peltier, Seebeck,

and Thomson effect in a single system (ElectroBoom, 2019). Seebeck effect is the generation of

voltage in the junction of two conductors with different temperature gradients (Science Struck,

2017). Peltier effect is present when an electric current is applied to a junction of two different

conductors which cause the emission or absorption of heat throughout the system (Science

Direct, 2002). Thermoelectric generators are currently in use in some power plants and

automobile engines around the world. It runs by collecting heat emitted by the engines and

produces green electricity (Marlow, 2017).

Local Literature

The Philippine's economy has greatly changed from agriculture to industrial, in terms of

energy usage. Fossil fuels (oil and gas) are the main source of its primary energy demands.

According to the 2011 primary energy consumption of the Philippines. 31 percent of the

consumption was met by oil, 20 percent by coal, 22 percent geothermal, 12 percent by biomass,

6 percent hydro and 1 percent other renewable energy like wind, solar and biofuel. Philippines

can be located at the pacific ring of fire and has a high geothermal potential. In terms of

electricity production, 41.4 percent of the electricity demand is met by geothermal energy, 28

percent by coal, 11.4 percent by hydro, 15 percent by natural gas and 0.11 and 0.1 percent by

wind stated by Enegypedia (2018).

 Household Energy Consumption Survey (HECS) (2013) stated in their report that,

electricity remained as the most common source of energy usage by households in the

Philippines. About 87 percent of 21.0 million households used electricity from March to August

2011. During 2011, electricity was used mostly for lighting with about 74 percent of households

reported the use of electricity for such purpose, and also was popularly used for recreation and

space cooling about 79 percent and 66 percent of the household using the electricity.

According to the Department of Energy (2017), electric consumption in the country

increased to about 90,300+gwh in 2017 and said "in its 2017 power statistic report, the figure is

3.90+ percent higher than 2016's 90,700+gwh. Power use in Luzon risen 3.58 percent to

69,600+gwh from 67,00o; Visayas, up 5.8 percent to 12,900+gwh from 12,200+gwh; and

Mindanao, up to 4.04 percent to 11,800+gwh from 11,300+gwh." In its Power Supply and

Demand Highlights report, the Energy Department said that the country's power system was

stable in the first half of 2017.

IRENA Renewables Readiness Assessment (RRA) (2017) stated that the Philippines

faces challenges of population growth and rising energy demand. Frequent tropical storms

adversely impact its energy infrastructures. In response, the Philippines resolved the problems by

pursuing low-carbon economic development and contribute global efforts against climate

change. Renewable energy technologies have become increasingly accommodating on national

planning and policy-making. A target adopted in 2011 calls for 15.3 gigawatts of renewable

power capacity by 2030.

According to Albano, I. V. (2019), the Philippines, along with other countries in Asia,

can meet its power needs with the plummeting cost of renewable energy technologies while

reducing emissions and addressing the climate crisis. However, coal is still no.1 in the
Philippines, last year, coal-fired power plants provided the largest generation share in the

country, with a whopping 51,932gwh from 23,300gwh power generated in 2010, this is stated by

the Power Statistics report of Department of Energy in 2018, according to the statistics, coal use

in the country continues to rise, followed by using oil, natural gas and renewable energy.

In 2016, CO2 emissions per capita of the Philippines was 1.23 metric tons, then increased

from 1.06 metric tons in 1997 to 1.23 metric tons, gradually increasing at an average of 1.95

percent. Carbon dioxide emissions are those caused by the burning of fossil fuels and the

manufacture of cements. This include carbon dioxide production during consumption of solid,

liquid, gas fuels and gas flaring. This is according to Knoema Corp. (2016).

The Philippines ranked third among the four countries in the world that is vulnerable to

climate change. In March last year, President Duterte signed landmark Paris Agreement on

Climate change that calls for the reduction of carbon emissions, which was linked in the

occurrence of natural disasters and extreme weather condition. In 2015, the Philippine

government submitted to the United Nations the country’s commitments to reduce its carbon

emissions by 70 percent by 2030. This was reported by Flores, H. (2018).

The Philippines generation sources some 74 percent of its energy needs fossil fuels,

particularly on coal and natural gas. The country utilizes various Renewable energy sources to

generate power aside from fossil fuels. Geothermal and hydro with solar and wind are beginning

to have significant effect, geothermal energy is the most developed renewable and third most

common source of electricity in the country. It produced 10,300+ gwh of power or 13 percent of

the total mix. In 2008, the government enacted the Renewable Energy Law which means aims to

accelerate the exploration and of RE sources. This was reported by the Philippine Analyst

(2015).
 Roxas, F. & Santiago, A. (2016) claimed in their article that Philippines, like many

countries are aiming to be responsible of consumer energy and aware of the need to minimize the

impact of climate change, the Philippines has, in both policy and practice favored Renewable

Energy sources, the country’s proportion of RE production and distribution in electricity is

significantly higher than other Asian countries. However, the National RE program in the

Philippines has adopted a strategy of aggressively amassing RE extent of tripling the capacity

over the period of 2011 to 2030.

Mondal, M.A., Rosegrant, M., Ringler, C., Pradesha, A. & Santos, R.V. (2018) proposed

in their article an assessment of alternative, long-term energy supply and low-carbon strategies

for the Philippines power sector from 2014 to 2040 using TIMES model, for it examines the

potential contribution of Renewable Energy to diversify the county’s energy supply-mix to meet

future electricity demands. The referential situations compare the effects of four alternative

policy goals: (1) carbon tax, (2) targeted renewable-based power generation, (3) limited coal

share in supply-mix, and (4) renewable subsidy. The model results for the referential situations

shows a large for potential for renewable energy –based power generation.

DOE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi advised our fellow Filipinos that in order to save more in

2019, the y have to embrace an energy efficient lifestyle. “E-power mo means we have that

energy ability. Embracing an energy efficient lifestyle will make our families and our nation

more prosperous.” Cusi Reminded. He noted simple New Year’s resolution toward electricity:

save money by turning off lights when not needed, by unplugging unused electric appliances, by

taking advantage of sun’s heat and light even more, and by buying more energy efficient

appliances and gadgets. This was reported by Department of Energy (2018).

 The Philippines is located near the equator, right where there is enough exposure from

the sun as it is within the path of the ecliptic plane of the sun all throughout the year. Also, in the

Philippines has the fifth most expensive cost of electricity in the world. The country needs to

have alternate means of energy supply that is less costly and does not contribute to global

warming. Using the solar energy as source of electricity can help Filipinos produce their own

power and save cost in the long run. Malicdem, E. (2015) proposed in his article.

Bulaong, R (2014) proposed in his article that there more prevalent drawbacks if

wearable devices such as smartwatches is battery that runs out of juice very often. But it

wouldn’t be the issue for too long as the researcher over KAIST have found a solution for this

problem that comes in a form of tiny flexible sheet of glass fabric that generates power using the

heat from the body of a person. Thermoelectric Generators, the technology used by the

researcher on their prototype.

An unnamed technology that will be placed in a box that sits adjacent to every home,

meaning a set of box of this device ca replace a local substation. Power can be generated for less

than 2 cents per kwh. Each unit can generate three times the power needed for the average home.

And when the power is unused, it will be stored from that day on to the next. It was developed in

Denver, discovered by a physicist with a strong entrepreneurial background developing a game

changing technology which is the thermoelectric generator. This was claimed by Chanco, B.

(2018).

Salamat, R. (2014) developed a thermoelectric module for low-voltage loads that will

satisfy the electric use and stored charges in the improvised power bank that can be used by

students and the faculty in everyday life or even in emergency. The materials needed was locally
available, like the body, which is made up wood to hold up the thermoelectric module. The

materials were cheap but have a good quality.

Foreign Studies

The thermoelectric generator is a device for directly converting thermal energy

into electrical energy based on the Seebeck Effect and it has presented urgent potential

in the case of waste heat recovery. (Tang, Z. B. et al 2015) Researches are being

conducted for renewable energy sources to lessen the high demand for fossil fuel

pushing the development of energy conversion using waste heat recovering techniques.

(Prashantha, K. et al 2016)

TEGs can save costs and reduce environmental burden in a wide range of

conditions. (Patyk, A. 2013) Through research, it is proven that TEG as a waste

harvesting method is feasible. (David, A.P. 2017) Through Seebeck Effect, the

harvesting of heat energy and converting it into electric energy is made possible. (Tang,

Z. B. et al 2015) Peltier effect is the opposite of the Seebeck effect because the main

idea is absorbing and release behavior of energy in an open circuit compared to

Seebeck Effect that focuses on the idea that the electricity is only related to the

differences of the two connectors. And the Thomson Effect is proportion to the

temperature difference. The three thermoelectric effects are related closely rather than

independent. (Zhou, D. et al 2015)

TEGs are semiconductor-based devices made to harvest heat and turn it in to

electricity. The work of the TEG should convert the heat to electricity and store the

product of the process for future uses and demand for electricity. Experimental TEG
units are made to push the studies in thermoelectric generation. A TEG which

incorporated the commercially available TE modules with a parallel-plate heat

exchanger. Experiments were conducted to test out the different influences of the main

operating conditions, the hot and cold fluid inlet temperature, flow rates, and the load of

resistance on the output in energy and the efficiency in conversion. Two parameters are

found to be affecting the maximum power output and conversion efficiency: hot fluid

inlet temperature and flow rate. (Xing, N. et al 2009)

Among all the discovered ways to recover energy, TEG is characterized to convert

energy from sources with temperature as low as 200® - 300® C. In spite the positive

qualities of TEGs, the market of TEGs is still not developed. Some researches are

made to analyze the several life cycles by installing a TEG unit to a vehicle because the

temperature of the exhaust gas from the vehicle is suitable for a TEG. One of the main

concerns is to make the TEG units more profitable by reducing its price. (Yusuke, K. et

al 2016) The temperature-electricity technology can achieve a low-cost energy saving

with impressive results. (Zhou, D. et al 2015)

The use of the Thomson effect in making the TEGs is proven to reduce the efficiency of

the power output. (Kaushik, S. C. et al 2015) To recycle exhaust gas sensible heat

based on thermoelectric power generation using thermodynamics. It is found that the

gas temperature drops rapidly because of the small specific heat of the exhaust gas. If

the heat transfer of gas is enhanced, power will improve but not the efficiency. (Fankai,

M. et al 2017)

The use of waste heat from exhaust gas of internal combustion engines in

powerplants and CHP plants is considered to be promising application field for

thermodynamics. The results show that, under many conditions, TEGs in power units

can save energy costs and reduce the environmental burden, i.e., they are eco-efficient.

With additional expenditure, energy savings and environmental benefits can be

achieved even under disadvantageous conditions. (Patyk, A. 2013)

Local Studies

A study aimed to develop and design a multiple-fueled biomass stove with a blower fan

that operates on a renewable energy source provided by the Stirling Engine. The stove was found

functional and efficient, with only minimal differences between the voltage and current outputs

when supplied by AC outlet, compared when supplied by the Stirling Engine. AC outlet as the

supply results in higher speed rotation of the blower fan compared to using Stirling Engine.

There results revealed that it has a minimal difference between the current and voltage outputs

can have a significant effect on speed and rotation of the said blower fan, affecting the

performance of the developed prototype. This study was conducted by Credo, M.C. & Metra Jr,

D.P (2019).

A study conducted about modelling hybrid renewable energy system for Philippine

Merchant Marine Academy, it is composed of two models, designated as model A and model B.

Model B is economically feasible, for the reason that its system only consists of solar PV, while

model A consist of two RE sources, solar PV and wind turbine, including a battery energy

system making the system more reliable in terms of electricity generation. Model A significantly

reduce emission of carbon dioxide as 85 percent of electrical load of the academy is from RE

sources based. It was concluded that renewable resources use will help the Philippines
government to meet its proposed GHG reduction plan and consequently fulfilling its political

commitment regarding U.N. agenda of 2030. This study was conducted by Guimpayan, N.

(2018).

Geothermal energy in the Philippines are one of the largest contributor in production of

electricity in our country, also as a resource of Renewable energy. The Government is moving

towards a policy environment that will facilitate the transition of the country’s energy sector to a

sustainable system by developing RE as a viable and competitive fuel option. Changing from

fossil fuel to renewable energy is the way for this transition to be successful. Stated from the

study of Benito, Francisco & Oygena, Manuel & Stimac, James. (2005)

Power from waste heat, a study made regarding a good use of thermoelectric energy

harvesting, a wristwatch that utilizes a thin compacted thermoelectric device. The watch works

by body heat that is converted into electricity with the help of the thermoelectric generator. The

watch produces 2 micro-watts of electrical power from 1.5K temp. drop across the

thermoelectric modules, the open circuit voltage is 300mV, and thermal efficiency is about 0.1

percent, this thermoelectric wristwatch demonstrates the viability of utilizing thermoelectricity in

small power sources. A study of Pumaris, K. (2015).

Ocean energy as an alternative source of energy a solution to the energy crisis in

Mindanao that resulted to a series of blackouts in the region during 2012, was assumed that will

last until the year of 2015. In response to the crisis, the senate passed bills to promote the use of

alternative energy sources, such a solar, wind, ocean energy and hydrogen. The first source of

alternative energy is the use of solar energy that primarily comes from the heat released by the

sun. Next was the use of wind energy, wind energy is tapped from the movement of windmills

by the winds movement that is driven by sunshine, since wind is more dispersed than the solar
power, wind power produces less electricity than solar energy for about .9 per square inch, so it

is needed to be placed on a high place. The safest and most obvious would be the energy

generated by the ocean, obvious since the country is surrounded by vast ocean, the use of ocean

energy can be applied in the Philippines, the energy generated by the ocean has various

component where energy comes from, ocean thermal, wave and tidal energy are the renewable

electric energy than be obtained from the ocean that can help solve the energy crisis in

Mindanao. This was proposed by Estioko, O. (2013).

A metal sheet with solar mirror film adhered on it and it is laid on a frame with steel

tubes bent in a shape of a parabola, through the focal region an absorber plate made of copper

and coated flat black served as high temperature reservoir of the eight equally spaced

thermoelectric modules. On the cold side, a rectangular aluminum tube with coolant flowing

inside maintained the module cold side was kept below 125℃ operating the effective area. The

results showed the potential of thermoelectric generator combined with solar energy in power

generation. This was done by Viña, R. & Alagao, F. (2018).

A project located in Masinloc, Zambales covered Stage I of the Masinloc Thermal Power

Project, it is to augment the base-load generating capacity of the Luzon grid that provides an

efficient and economic supply of electricity. As the project uses coal a renewable energy sources,

it also supports the Government in its work in diversifying the country’s energy sources and

reduce the dependency of using volatile oil market. The project’s location was selected based on

the recommendation of potential sites, considering the availability of land for the plant, coal

storage and ash disposal, availability of fresh water supplies and cooling water, calm sea

conditions for the harbor and environmental conditions. This project was proposed in 1999 but

published by Asian Development Bank (2002).

 The prospect of Thermal Energy Converter Energy in The Philippines showed the

significant benefits risk and the possibility of installing an Ocean Thermal Energy Converter

plant in the Philippines. OTECP is a renewable alternative energy which uses the difference of

the temperature from the warm surface water and cold deep water like the Seebeck thermocouple

to produce electricity, the two basic systems of OTECP are open and closed cycle, the closed

system uses liquid ammonia while the open uses the water heat source. This study was done by

Malabanan, B., et. al (2013).

It is evident in the Philippines that there’s a rapid increase demand of energy and the need

for energy sources. The consumption and generation of energy produces a lot of waste heat that

is simply rejected into the atmosphere without seeing the potential of it being an energy source.

Organic Rankine Cycle offers an environmental-friendly solution with an approach to generate

power by utilizing waste heat energy that comes from geothermal power plants, geothermal heat

is one of the potential energy source for being stable and its abundance from its source. The

study covers of a low-cost small scale ORC system that simulates heats capture from geothermal

power plants. It includes a mechanical design, a control system and a software interface. The

generator present in their study is a scroll expander converted into a small compressor. The

researchers conducted three trials to identify the effectiveness of the converted scroll expander

with the ORC test bench. This study was conducted by Cruz, A. G., et. al (2015).

Conversion of energy by using waste heat recovery techniques for example is the

thermoelectric generator that had been developed during recent years, it’s application by

alternative energy industry is attempted from many aspects. Harvesting waste heat through

thermoelectric generator is a feasible method. Due to major concerns worldwide, the TEG offer a

solution in replacing the consumption of fossil fuels into using waste heat as a source of energy.
The Seebeck effect used by the researcher can be observed on the thermos couples on the TEG.

The energy harnessed will be applied in recharging mobile devices. The model consists of an

aluminum heat sink and a Peltier device that has two sides, the cold and hot that will produce

difference of temperature that will be used to produce electricity. This was done by David, A.

(2017).

Thermoelectric technologies are arising with a wide range of potential applications,

mainly in recapturing energy lost as waste heat from burning fossil fuels, and as a cooling agent.

One possible application is to integrate thermoelectric devices with photovoltaic modules that

suffers from overheating. The thermoelectric device will help in lowering the temperature of the

photovoltaic modules which will optimize the performance through an increase produced output.

It is also possible that the energy production will increase if the thermoelectric device acted as

the generator. Simulation using Matlab software was used to observe if the PV-TE system is

efficient, and if using TE technology as coolant and generator will improve the performance of

the PV module. In the actual experiment, it resulted that there is an improve in the output of the

PV-TE system. The feasibility study was conducted by Peña, R.A., & Pareja, K.A., (2013).

Using Thermoelectric generator to power up mobile devices, specifically mobile phones.

The goal of the prototype is to discover alternative energy sources for every growing need of

renewable energy sources. The prototype is constructed using ready-made materials having two

glass bottles as inner container and a PVC pipe as an outer wall, also it is vacuum insulated so

that heat dissipation is avoided. 20 thermoelectric generators were connected in series-parallel

that supplies a booster with enough electric energy for thirty minutes, which starts as liquids with

different temperature is poured into it. And base on the experiment, it recommends to store the

energy produced by the TEG’s in a power bank but all in all, charging the battery using the
generated electricity was achieved. Presented by G. V. Magwili, M. L. D. Bulaong, A. M. P.

Macose, and P. S. B. Rodriguez (2018).

Philippines have an abundant Pig farms that are great producer of pig dungs that produces

methane gas. The study demonstrates the development of a renewable energy in a form of biogas

as an energy system that is sustainable for an animal farm’s need of electricity and has a working

digester. The project utilized pig dungs to produce methane gas, and the utilization of methane

gas to power a Stirling engine which in turn is coupled to an alternator, thus producing AC

voltage. The results showed that the biogas energy system was able to generate biogas and the

conversion of AC to DC voltage was achieved by using a 6-phase rectifier. The study was

conducted by Pacis M. C., Gutierrez, G., Averia, A. & Tiongco, K. (2018).

The potential of thermoelectric coupling such as the thermos electric module. A

thermoelectric cooler converts heat from the stove into electricity and store in a battery. A

converter of DC-DC is used to generate enough voltage to light a minimum house dwelling or

recharge a mobile phone. The device seeks offering solution for those who faces electricity

problem specifically the ones on isolated areas. The proponents concluded that the heat waste

harnessed from the radiation can be used to generate electrical energy with the help of TEC, the

generated electrical energy can be increased for charging the mobile phone. The TEC prevented

the process of harnessing heat from the cook stove by using the cooling-off mechanism. This

study was produced by Muñoz Jr, R. C. & Manansala, C. G. (2018).

Thermoelectric Generator unit utilizes heat energy absorption from manhole and chamber

covers caused by solar radiation can potentially replace disposable batteries of instrumentation

components like data loggers and flow meters. The said components are being used by water

utility companies for measuring flow and pressure. The TEG unit were installed directly in
contact under a chamber cover. The captured radiant heat energy from the cover will be kept at

high temperature as long as the cover is exposed from the sun’s radiance. A pressure reducing

valve, which is installed as well inside the chamber is used to circulate cold water into the TEG

system. The objective was to stabilize the temperature difference of the TEG to be able to

harvest electrical energy. Results indicated that the system generated an average power during

the hottest month of the year, in conclusion, this system that harnesses renewable energy are

competitive to disposable batteries. Claimed by Valdez, V. & Berana, M. (2017).

Synthesis

The data presented by the Department of Energy (2017) indicated that our country’s

demand of electricity is continuously growing. And procedures of harnessing energy that

supplies the country are causing pollution, such as burning fossil fuels as source of energy and

also coal is one of the biggest source of energy in our country, so to speak, a lot of carbon is

released and ejected into the atmosphere making us vulnerable and prone to climate change due

to this issue, like what Flores, H. (2018) and to Knoema Corp. (2016) reported on their article.

Because of this crisis happening in our country, President Duterte signed landmark Paris

Agreement on Climate change that calls for the reduction of carbon emissions, which was linked

in the occurrence of natural disasters and extreme weather condition. In 2015, the Philippine

government submitted to the United Nations the country’s commitments to reduce its carbon

emissions by 70 percent by 2030. A lot of report came in that our country our spending a lot of

effort for finding alternative sources of energy such as like the report of Roxas, F. & Santiago,

A. (2016) claimed in their article that Philippines, like many countries are aiming to be
responsible of consumer energy and aware of the need to minimize the impact of climate change,

the Philippines has, in both policy and practice favored Renewable Energy sources, the country’s

proportion of RE production and distribution in electricity is significantly higher than other

Asian countries. However, the National RE program in the Philippines has adopted a strategy of

aggressively amassing RE extent of tripling the capacity over the period of 2011 to 2030.

Renewable energies like e.g. solar energy claimed by Malicdem, E. (2015) in his article

wind energy, and one of the potential source of our country, the thermal energy according to the

report of by the Philippine Analyst (2015).

DOE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi advised our fellow Filipinos that in order to save more in

2019, the y have to embrace an energy efficient lifestyle. “E-power mo means we have that

energy ability. Embracing an energy efficient lifestyle will make our families and our nation

more prosperous.” Cusi Reminded. He noted simple New Year’s resolution toward electricity:

save money by turning off lights when not needed, by unplugging unused electric appliances, by

taking advantage of sun’s heat and light even more, and by buying more energy efficient

appliances and gadgets. This was reported by Department of Energy (2018).

Rooting from the statement of DOE secretary Alfonso, a lot of studies that focuses on

renewable energy like the studies of Credo, M.C. & Metra Jr, D.P.(2019), Guimpayan, N.(2018),

Benito, Francisco & Oygena, Manuel & Stimac, James. (2005) , Estioko, O.(2013), Viña, R. &

Alagao, F. (2018), Malabanan, B., et. al (2013), & Pacis M. C., Gutierrez, G., Averia, A. &

Tiongco, K. (2018), uses of renewable energy resources such as biomasses, ocean thermal

energy, solar energy, ocean waves energy, and geothermal energy. But to specify from the

secretary’s statement, thermoelectric generators can be offered as a solution in lessening electric

consumption, studies related to this as well risen like from Pumaris, K (2015), Cruz, A. G., et. al

(2015), David, A. (2017), Peña, R.A., & Pareja, K.A., (2013), G. V. Magwili, M. L. D. Bulaong,

A. M. P. Macose, and P. S. B. Rodriguez (2018) , Pacis M. C., Gutierrez, G., Averia, A. &

Tiongco, K. (2018), Muñoz Jr, R. C. & Manansala, C. G. (2018), & Valdez, V. & Berana, M.

(2017).

Due to high demand of electricity, ways to provide the consumers are being made

continuously. One way is to harvest waste heat energy and convert it to electricity through

thermoelectric generators using mainly, the Seebeck Effect. This option has shown potential to

provide electricity due to the continuous heating of the Earth and the demand for electricity is not

decreasing. But due to materials required to make a TEG unit, the development of the TEG

market is still on hold even though the future of the market is clear and the result will benefit the

whole community and history. The price to build a TEG is one of the big factors why researchers

cannot claim that TEGs are really efficient for the consumer. Despite the price needed, the

overall effect and product of TEGs on today’s technology allows the consumers to lessen the

worry of energy production that consumers demand. Researches are still being made to reduce

the cost needed to build a high performance TEG for it affects the overall efficiency of TEGs.

The use of TEGs will surely benefit the environment, and if the price can be lessened anytime

soon, surely, the TEG market will be developed because of TEG’s worth for money. Among all

the ways to recover heat energy, TEG shows the most convenient way because of the minimum

waste heat energy temperature it requires to convert the energy to electricity.