In the article,
“How can Southeast Asia’s clean energy transition be sped up?”, Daubach (2019)
mentioned that energy experts from Temasek’s Ecosperity conference explained
the challenges faced by Southeast Asia as the region changes its dependence on
fossil fuels to renewable energy sources at a slow pace. Also, the experts
stated ways to quicken the pace and the importance of that. The build-up 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 examples of how technology companies from outside
the region can contribute. Such companies include Sun Cable which is backed by Mike
Cannon-Brookes, Bill Gates’s TerraPower and Aker Solutions.
Technology
company Sun Cable plans to build the world’s
largest solar farm in Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory, Australia which can supply solar power through cables to Asia.
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.
Billionaire Bill Gates’s start-up based in the United States of America,
TerraPower has been developing something called a “travelling-wave reactor”,
which uses depleted uranium, lowering costs and improving safety. Bill Gates in
an article explained that advanced nuclear is one of many climate change
solutions (Greene, 2019). According to Greene (2019), a spokeswoman said
that The Energy Department 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 (Guggenheim, 2019). Once this new advanced nuclear technology has been validated
and distributed across the globe, Southeast Asia’s transition could be faster.
Aker Solutions
is a company in Norway that can help Southeast Asia too. The company mentioned
that they are the sole company that offer technology and products throughout
the entire Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) value chain. The
company captures pure carbon dioxide from industrial flue gases which can then
be used and sent via ship or pipelines for long term storage (Aker Solutions,
2019). The website also stated that the technology is “cost-efficient, robust
and flexible, and can be applied on existing plants or new-built”. Guo (2019) mentioned
that the International Energy Agency (IEA) has predicted that carbon
capture and storage technology 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 from Aker Solutions should be included as it helps slow the
rate of carbon emissions escaping to the atmosphere.
To conclude, the world needs to collaborate to reduce the amount of
carbon emissions faster before unwanted natural events occur. Everyone has a
part to play to keep the planet liveable for the next generations.
[660 words]
References
Aker Solutions. (2019). Carbon capture,
utilization and storage. Retrieved from https://www.akersolutions.com/what-we-do/products-and-services/carbon-capture-utilization-and-storage/.
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.
Guggenheim, D. (Producer). (2019). Inside Bill's Brain: Decoding Bill Gates [Streaming video].
Retrieved from http://www.netflix.com.
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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