Southeast Asia

Advanced Energy Partnership for Asia Fact Sheet

Key Regional Projects

Southeast Asia Renewable Energy (RE) Data Explorer

USAID and NREL recently released an enhanced and expanded version of the best-in-class RE Data Explorer, a publicly available geospatial analysis tool that can inform renewable energy policy, investment, and deployment decisions. A key driver of RE Data Explorer's updates is the Southeast Asia RE Data Explorer initiative. This initiative supports the development and open dissemination of data sets critical to enabling decisions for scaling up RE deployment in Southeast Asia. Users can now access industry-leading high spatial (2-kilometer) and temporal (10-minute) resolution solar resource data for multiple years for the entire Southeast Asia region. Dr. Nuki Agya Utama, executive director for the ASEAN Centre for Energy, underscored the need for access to reliable and accurate data sets in the Southeast Asian region. "This high-fidelity data is very important to make sure capacity can be translated into real potential and can be generated into real power in the region," Utama said. You can learn more about this best-in-class solar resource data here, explore the tool yourself on RE Data Explorer, or learn about this launch of Enhanced RE Data Explorer Offers High-fidelity Solar Resource Data for Southeast Asia

 Asia EDGE Power Sector Learning Series

 The Asia EDGE Power Sector Learning Series is a USAID and NREL collaboration designed to promote learning, stimulate stakeholder dialogue, and enable efforts towards clean, resilient, and efficient power sectors across Southeast Asia. This learning series provides no-cost virtual training on power sector planning, resilience, grid integration, and power sector modernization topics. Webinars feature cutting-edge approaches and best practices from global experts to enable competitive markets for clean energy technologies across the region. Webinars are publicly available through the Southeast Asia EDGE Hub: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVmbnl_Um-T8QK5ScCSxWNA/videos

Virtual Course: Enhanced Load Modeling and Demand Forecasting for Southeast Asia

What will power demand be in 30 to 40 years? Where will demand be greatest? What will the hourly demand profile look like with the deployment of advanced energy systems (such as electric vehicles) and shifting economic sectors? Power system planners are faced with these and more challenging questions as they model and forecast long-term electricity demand for increasingly complex and transforming power systems.  This virtual course for power sector planners and decision makers in Southeast Asia, sponsored by USAID and implemented by NREL, provides a comprehensive overview of enhanced electricity demand modeling and forecasting methods for long-term power system planning. The full course is now publicly available through NREL Learning: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmIn8Hncs7bG7-wqLiknoQmK9uLkhsKaJ

Upcoming Virtual Course: Electric Vehicle (EV) Deployment Fundamentals for Southeast Asia (Summer 2021)

By 2030, urban population in Southeast Asia are projected to grow by another 100 million people – adding to increased transport congestion, air pollution and environmental challenges. Interest in EV deployment is expanding in the region, driven by falling battery costs, emissions reduction goals, and EV deployment policies.  However, EV markets in SE Asia are still in early stages of development, and policymakers, electric utilities, vehicle operators, and other stakeholders need resources and training about appropriate policies for adoption, deployment strategies, power system impacts, and potential costs and benefits resulting from EV deployment. This cutting-edge virtual course will provide a comprehensive overview of key technical, policy and financial topics related to EV deployment. The full course will also be made publicly available through NREL Learning when completed: https://www.youtube.com/user/NRELLearn

 ASEAN Interconnection Master Plan Study III (AIMS III)

AIMS III was led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Centre for Energy (ACE) in an effort to create multilateral power trade discussions in the region. The project’s primary goal is to ensure regional energy security, capacity expansion, support a cross-border interconnection system while promoting the efficient utilization and sharing of resources. Drawing on extensive national and regional energy system modeling, NREL acted as one of the technical advisors for this project. 

 Hybrid Floating Solar Photovoltaics and Hydropower in Southeast Asia

This regional project identifies best practices to overcome barriers to the deployment of floating solar photovoltaics (FPV) systems. As Southeast Asia has substantial existing and planned hydropower projects, this work also includes a modeling case study to quantify the potential operational benefits of pairing hydropower with FPV systems. Outputs will include a comprehensive literature review of policy and regulatory barriers and opportunities, as well as a modeling analysis using the Engage capacity expansion model.

 Exploring Renewable Energy Opportunities in Select Southeast Asian Countries

Costs for generating electricity from renewable energy sources have fallen to levels that are increasingly competitive with traditional sources of electricity generation, such as fossil fuels. As these costs fall, private developers, policymakers, and energy system planners are searching for opportunities to harness high-quality renewable energy resources across Southeast Asia. This analysis, and the complementary Cost of Energy Mapping Tool on Renewable Energy (RE) Data Explorer, were developed to help policymakers, planners, private developers, and other actors in Southeast Asia assess the cost of utility-scale wind and solar photovoltaics (PV) development. Users can interactively explore the results of this analysis on RE Data Explorer to inform renewable energy decisions in their countries.