Hydropower in Southeast Asia holds much promise. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), hydropower capacity in the region grew almost threefold from 16 GW to 44 GW between 2000 and 2016. The major users of hydropower technology are Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) members in the Indochinese region and the Philippines.

The path towards meeting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) goal of securing 23 percent of its primary energy from renewable resources by 2025 is no simple feat. Based on policies that are being currently practiced and are in consideration for the future, the region’s renewable energy share in its primary mix is only slated to reach 17 percent by 2025.This leaves a 6 percent gap between target and actual rate of adoption.

ASEAN is currently facing some dilemmas on renewable energy as they have to focus on the need to deliver secure energy, grow consistently, and also develop in a sustainable way. According to a research paper from the Journal of Ocean Engineering and Marine Energy in January 2018, fossil fuel producing countries like Malaysia are looking increasingly to renewable and sustainable energy sources and particularly those that can be used in rural electrification.

Southeast Asia might finally see nuclear energy for the first time ever. Recently, Russia has been urging Manila to consider the use of nuclear energy.

The push towards renewable energy has seen biogas emerge as a viable option for Southeast Asian countries looking to diversify their energy mix. Biogas refers to the mixture of various gasses – usually methane, carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulphide – that are produced as a result of the breakdown of organic matter like municipal solid waste, agricultural residue and organic industrial waste.

Renewable energy generation across the Southeast Asian region has been long driven by the deployment of hydro-based solutions. Between 2000 and 2016, hydropower capacity in the region grew from nearly 16 GW to 44 GW, according to International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).The region currently deploys two types of hydropower – large hydro and small hydro. Countries in the Mekong River Basin, including Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV), are leading this growth.

Timor-Leste and Australia have finally reached an agreement over the maritime border between the two countries. The two countries signed a historic treaty on a permanent border in the Timor Sea at the UN headquarters on Wednesday. The agreement comes after a 15-year dispute between Timor-Leste and Australia.

Sustainable energy development is a challenge when meeting rising energy demands especially in developing economies. However, Vietnam is one ASEAN nation that is up to the task.According to the country’s National Energy Development Plan, energy demand forecasts indicate that by 2035, the total final energy demand will be more than double than levels in 2015.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has answered the clarion call for the global shift towards renewable energy, in line with the pursuit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combatting global warming.

Microsoft announced earlier this week that it will be buying solar power from the Sunseap Group in Singapore. The deal will be their first for renewable energy in Asia. In recent years, Microsoft has been moving towards investing in renewable energy and integrating it into their systems. In 2016, Microsoft laid out their plans to transition to clean power.