Unleashing solar and wind in ASEAN

Current plans for solar and wind fall short of a road map to limit global temperature rise under 1.5 degrees.

Southeast Asia has emerged as possibly the most crucial region for future energy transition as the pace of transition picks up in China and India. The region offers enormous potential for renewable energy sources, especially solar and wind. However, they have yet to show significant progress in clean energy deployment.

As one of the world’s fastest-growing regions in terms of economic growth and electricity demand, achieving its net zero emissions in the future will depend on the pace of renewables uptake. The progress of clean electricity generation in ASEAN five major countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam), henceforth “ASEAN 5”, which make up 89% of the region’s total electricity generation, shows a positive trend in the past years. Nevertheless, clean electricity could not keep up with the fast rising electricity demand. Therefore, as of 2021 the share of clean electricity remains low with the share of fossil fuel increased in the region compared to 2015.

Around three-quarters of the growth in global clean electricity generation in 2021 came from solar and wind. Most 1.5-degree aligned models suggest that going forward, solar and wind should account for a similar proportion of clean electricity. However, solar and wind generated only 4% of ASEAN 5’s electricity last year, lagging behind its peers like China (11%) and India (8%).

Analysis of current power sector development plans show the total share of solar and wind in ASEAN 5 will rise from 4% of electricity in supply in 2021 to 11% by 2030. But even more ambition is needed to put them on a 1.5-degree pathway.