Summary/Reader Response Draft #1

In the article, “How can Southeast Asia’s clean energy transition be sped up?”, Daubach (2019) wrote that because of Southeast Asia (SEA) region’s varying economies, using one method to push towards clean energy is insufficient.

Daubach (2019) mentioned several experts who discussed that green technologies and remedies must be implemented in electricity production according to each country’s circumstances. For example, Singapore can alternatively generate electricity from nuclear fusion and use zero-emissions vehicles due to constraints in using wind power and solar panels extensively. Nuclear fusion can be used as it minimises land usage and is emission-free, but it requires immense heat plus pressure and is inefficient to mass produce energy. Additionally, green technologies are too costly to meet the Paris Agreement promptly. Daubach (2019) also suggests reducing energy consumption, especially since SEA still uses coal which is a major contributor to global emissions. Accelerating the implementations on green measures can also help in curbing electricity consumption. He then concluded that SEA “needs more innovation to reduce costs in the power, industrial and transportation sectors”.

Based on the points Daubach (2019) had discussed above, while it is undeniable that SEA has large room for improvement to tap on its implementation of renewable energy, he did not address the key challenges hindering the region besides the high cost of green technologies.

Firstly, many countries in SEA are prioritising their citizens access to electricity. Oil and coal are still widely used to produce energy as they are the cheapest sources of fossil fuels to provide affordable power to millions of people. For example, Brunei Darussalam is continuously using natural gas and oil while Indonesia and the Philippines still uses coal. Thus, these countries are still using traditional fossil fuels as they are the cheapest and most abundant forms of energy available to cater to the demand of its people.

Secondly, there is a lack of awareness regarding the benefits of renewable energy. It becomes a challenge to implement renewable energy sources when the public have limited knowledge about the importance of sustainability and renewable energy to ensure a green future and the benefits. This is evident in the minuscule action for renewable energy by stakeholders such as industrial players and building owners in SEA. For effective actions to be taken, there should be an increase in education for renewable energy so that there will more stakeholder involvement in the development of renewable energy sector in SEA.

Finally, the implementation of renewable energy can be a political choice among the countries in SEA. The monopoly of certain agencies in the energy production is preventing potential investors of renewable energy and dominating the local energy production. For example, Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), a state-owned utility company in Indonesia, dominates the energy production sector and owns most of the coal plants there. PLN is thus not incentivised to push itself to towards using renewable energy. With the domination of certain utility agencies, it will slow down the clean energy movement because of the political influence of these giant utility companies.

In conclusion, although SEA needs to significantly hasten on its implementation of clean energy measures, the respective problems of the nations need to be addressed first for SEA to adopt more renewable energy sources.

Reference:

ASEAN targets to Secure 23% sustainable renewable energy. (2019, December 27). Retrieved February 15, 2021, from https://ycpsolidiance.com/article/asean-targets-to-secure-23-sustainable-renewable-energy-by-2025

Ha, T. (2019, July 31). Power PLAY-WHO'S winning Southeast Asia's RENEWABLES race? Retrieved February 15, 2021, from https://www.eco-business.com/news/power-play-whos-winning-southeast-asias-renewables-race/

Smith, B. (2019, June 26). The challenges renewable energy sources face. Retrieved February 15, 2021, from https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=18220

The ASEAN Post Team. (2020, August 23). Renewable energy challenges in southeast asia. Retrieved February 15, 2021, from https://theaseanpost.com/article/renewable-energy-challenges-southeast-asia

Tun, M., Palacky, P., & Juchelkova, D. (2000). Renewable Waste-to-Energy in Southeast Asia: Status, Challenges, Opportunities, and Selection of Waste-to-Energy Technologies. Applied Sciences Review. Retrieved February 15, 2021.