Similar to many other growing Southeast Asian countries, Thailand is facing an increase in energy demand. According to the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), energy demand in Southeast Asia in 2040 is expected to increase between 110- to 130 percent. Meanwhile, due to Thailand’s good economic performance and population growth, energy demand is forecasted to rise by almost 80 percent in the next 20 years. At the same time, Thailand is now facing a fossil fuels crisis.

Renewable energy is set to change the energy landscape of the region and its benefits are plentiful. The regional goal is to ensure 23 percent of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) primary energy mix is made up of renewable energy by 2025.However, many of those living in Southeast Asia’s remote villages are still reliant on traditional biomass like firewood for heating and age-old diesel generators for intermittent electricity supply.

Southeast Asia is home to a wind energy “goldmine” just waiting to be tapped. Leading the way forward is the Philippines with an estimated technical potential of around 70 gigawatts (GW). However, Indonesia is not to be outdone in this regard.The largest economy in the region has attractive demographics and a surging power demand.

Deep below the ancient volcanoes scattered around the Philippines sits a simmering stockpile of intense heat that officials hope will help revive the nation's sputtering green energy machine.The Philippines - thanks to its spot in the Ring of Fire zone of Pacific volcanoes - has long been one of the world's top producers of geothermal power, but years of neglect have sent the industry sliding.Now a surge of new exploration efforts is underway in a nation that has some of the world&#

Recently, the United Nation’s (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report which warns that the world could face an imminent climate change crisis if there are no efforts made to reverse it. The IPCC report mentioned that unless emissions are halved within 12 years and virtually eliminated by 2050, temperature increases will likely exceed two degrees Celsius.Among the key steps that need to be taken to reduce global emissions is to transition to renewables.

At the World Economic Forum on ASEAN in Hanoi last month, Thongloun Sisoulith, Prime Minister of Lao PDR acknowledged the recent devastation caused by a hydroelectric dam failure in his country and added that his government would proceed with caution with regards to future hydroelectric investments. Often touted as the “Battery of Southeast Asia,” Lao has 46 operating hydroelectric power plants and intends to almost double that number by 2020.

Southeast Asia’s electricity consumption has been rising at an annual rate of 7.5 percent from 155.3 terawatt hours (TWh) in 1990 to 821.1 TWh in 2013, according to a white paper by the ASEAN Centre for Energy in the Spring 2016 issue of Cornerstone Journal. About 60 percent of electricity usage in Southeast Asian cities is attributable to the use of air-conditioning alone.

Southeast Asia is a growing region with countries here averaging growth rates of 5.1 percent. This situation has rightly prompted a rise in energy demand within the region. Between 2000 and 2016, economic growth in the region spurred a 70 percent increase in primary energy demand.

The renewable energy sector in Southeast Asia has progressed by leaps and bounds. From the harnessing of biomass to the use of water in generating electricity, there is room for tremendous economic growth as well as the obvious positive of caring for an ailing environment.

In tandem with a renewable energy policy, energy efficiency will be key to building a reliable and sustainable energy system for the future of Southeast Asia. Energy efficiency refers to the reduced rate of energy consumption in order to produce the same amount of output.