Accelerating a clean energy transition in Southeast Asia: Role of governments and public policy

(a) Energy Division, South East Asia Department, Asian Development Bank, Philippines
(b) Deloitte Consulting, United States
(c) Stanford University, United States
(d) Princeton University, United States
Southeast Asia is a significant stakeholder in the global action against climate change, given its growing population, rising greenhouse gas emissions, and vulnerability to climate change impacts. Public policy makers in this region are faced with the challenge of transitioning to cleaner energy sources to enable the attainment of Paris Agreement goals, while also expanding access to affordable and reliable energy supplies. Southeast Asia has one of world’s fastest growing rates of greenhouse gas emissions due to rising fossil fuel combustion, second only to South Asia. As such, it is imperative to decouple its energy consumption from emissions growth. This paper reviews Southeast Asia’s energy sector trends, with a focus on electricity supply and demand vis-à-vis global decarbonization efforts. Based on global and regional best practices, the paper highlights the crucial role that governments and public policy can play in accelerating the region’s clean energy transition, namely through the establishment of mandatory long-term climate and renewable energy targets and binding policies; use of iterative and adaptive power system planning; support for effective market development; financing of pioneering investments and trunk infrastructure; and support for a just and equitable transition.

Cite:

J. Aleluia, P. Tharakan, A.P. Chikkatur, G. Shrimali, X. Chen, Accelerating a clean energy transition in Southeast Asia: Role of governments and public policy, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 159, 2022,
112226, ISSN 1364-0321, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2022.112226.