In the article, “How can Southeast Asia’s clean energy transition be sped up?”, Daubach (2019) explained the challenges faced by Southeast Asia as the region changes its dependence on fossil fuels to renewable energy sources at a slow pace. The author also explained ways to quicken the pace and the importance of that. The buildup of carbon emissions, risk millions of lives by increasing sea levels and triggering water shortages. The article noted that the region’s economies are at dissimilar stages of growth. The transition can be quickened by better collaboration, reducing costs, implementing efficiency measures and deploying alternative technologies such as district cooling systems. In the areas of electricity generation, storage, and transfer, the article stated how Singapore can generate from nuclear fusion or zero-emissions fuel since it cannot house large scale solar and wind power infrastructures. Such technologies, unfortunately, are not obtainable at an inexpensive price.
While the article mentioned how Southeast Asian
countries can speed up the process, it did not give any example of how countries outside the region can contribute. It also did not include the importance of using ‘clean coal’
technology such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), since it is unlikely that
Southeast Asia will halt its reliance on coal anytime soon (Guo, 2018).
Recently, Greber (2019) explained that Mike
Cannon-Brookes will invest in a daring $25 billion project to “create the
world's biggest solar farm, its biggest power storage system, and a
3000-kilometer cable to export energy to Asia”. According to the
article, the tech entrepreneur had talks on ways to supply 25 percent of Singapore's
energy needs within a decade, with the Singapore government. The
billionaire claimed that the sun shines on Australia the most, outside the
Sahara and is very near to countries that lack space or resources for renewable
power generation. He further added that the country has been debated to have
the best resources for wind quantity and quality. This explains how Australia,
a country outside Southeast Asia can contribute, by exporting energy to its
surrounding countries.
Even a company from as far as the United States
of America can help. Bill Gates in an article explained that advanced nuclear
is one of many climate change solutions (Greene, 2019). His startup, TerraPower has been developing something
called a “travelling-wave reactor”, which uses depleted uranium, lowering costs
and improving safety. According to (Greene, 2019), a spokeswoman from The
Energy Department said that the agency sees opportunities to export the
technology worldwide to nations that pursue such technologies for nonviolent
purposes. TerraPower was counting on a China pilot to validate the technology
until the recent trade policy change by the Trump administration. Now looking
for another partner, once this new advanced nuclear technology has been
validated and then spread across the globe, Southeast Asia’s transition could
be faster.
Guo (2019) mentioned in an article on the use
of carbon capture and storage (CCS). The technology drains the carbon dioxide
produced when burning coal and isolates it for reuse. The International Energy
Agency (IEA) has predicted that CCS can supply a fifth of the total carbon
cuts needed to keep emissions within tolerable boundaries over the next 3
decades if properly harnessed. Hence, this technology should be included
in the article as it helps slow the rate at which carbon emissions escape to
the atmosphere.
To conclude, the world needs to collaborate and
Southeast Asian countries especially, have to reduce the amount of carbon
emissions faster before unwanted natural events occur. Everyone
has a part to play to keep the planet livable for the next generations.
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References
Daubach, T. (2019, July 19).
How can Southeast Asia's clean energy transition be sped up? Eco-Business. Retrieved from https://www.eco-business.com/news/how-can-southeast-asias-clean-energy-transition-be-sped-up/.
Greber, J.
(2019, September 24). Cannon-Brookes' plan to power Singapore. Australian Financial Review. Retrieved
from https://www.afr.com/policy/energy-and-climate/cannon-brookes-plan-to-export-aussie-solar-power-to-singapore-20190924-p52u9o?fbclid=IwAR2yhp-hzzKd0I51EeHNwIksjYrxdIqsBzi7NYrLaFlZTAG88xR5cXuhcB8.
Greene, J.
(2019, January 1). Trump's Tech Battle With China Roils Bill Gates Nuclear Venture.
Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-tech-battle-with-china-roils-bill-gates-nuclear-venture-11546360589.
Guo, G.
(2018, December 4). Southeast Asia's Clean Energy Challenge. The Diplomat. Retrieved from
https://thediplomat.com/2018/12/southeast-asias-clean-energy-challenge/.
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