Sustainability in ASEAN, a growing imperative

ASEAN was established in 1967 to advance regional cooperation, particularly economic, security and social. Its member countries have a combined population of 650 million and GDP of more than $2.5 trillion. Its immense population, comparative advantages and geographical location have led to the bloc being one of the quickest-growing markets globally. Interdependent Southeast Asia is increasingly threatened by […]

Power Ledger launches renewable energy credit marketplace in SE Asia

Blockchain-enabled approaches to advancing the transition to renewable energy sources are making inroads in new regions. On Aug. 25, Australian blockchain firm Power Ledger announced its forthcoming launch of a marketplace for trading renewable energy certificates (RECs) across Thailand and the Southeast Asian region.

ASEAN senior officials convene online meeting

Hanoi (VNA) – The 38th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Energy (SOME 38) took place online on August 24 to review a series of activities and prepare for the upcoming 38th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM). Under the chair of Hoang Tien Dung, Director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Electricity and Renewable Energy […]

Renewable Energy Challenges In Southeast Asia

ASEAN has set an ambitious target of securing 23 percent of its primary energy from renewable sources by 2025 as energy demand in the region is expected to grow by 50 percent. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), this objective entails a “two-and-a-half-fold increase in the modern renewable energy share compared to 2014.” […]

The future of mobility: Less or no mobility at all?

Transportation has evolved over time, from relying on human power alone, animal riding and wheels that improved the speed and range of mobility. Then came the steam engine, combustible engine, gas engine, even an electric motor. Transportation has become so essential for human lives, moving both people (passenger transport) and goods (freight transport).

Strong Cooperation and Enabling Policies can Lead Energy Transformation in Southeast Asia

Meeting future energy demand in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a high priority in the region. With current indigenous fossil fuel resources incompatible with climate and sustainable development goals, and the COVID-19 pandemic causing fuel price volatility and economic uncertainty, the region can now seize the moment to put renewable energy sources […]

Climate Change Is a Security Threat to the Asia-Pacific

This week the ASEAN Joint Task Force on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) will meet via video conference, with the COVID-19 pandemic escalating just as some countries in the disaster-prone Indo-Asia Pacific enter their cyclone, drought, heatwave, or monsoon seasons. The overlaying of the pandemic with existing complex challenges is a timely reminder that […]

The $16 billion plan to beam Australia’s Outback sun onto Asia’s power grids

SYDNEY — Could Australia, one of the world’s biggest exporters of coal and natural gas, become a solar superpower? The island continent, distant from Asia’s megacities, plans to capture the plentiful Outback sun, store it in giant batteries until nightfall and transmit it to Singapore along a watermelon-width cable traversing 2,800 miles of sea floor, including a […]