Technology serves as an important vehicle in transforming our energy systems of the future. Speakers at the Singapore-IRENA High-Level Forum Session 3 shared their views. Ryan Yap reports
The next few years will be pivotal for solar, wind and other clean energy technologies such as hydrogen to scale up and accelerate the change needed to unlock a low carbon energy future.
In his opening Keynote Address, H.E. Nguyen Hong Dien, Minister of Industry and Trade, Socialist Republic of Vietnam, shared how technology is providing the necessary levers. To make the transition, the country is calling for international and domestic investments in renewables, energy efficiency technologies, electrification, as well as power transmission infrastructure.
Based on the country’s National Power Development Plan for 2021 to 2030, the number of coal-fired thermal power plants is estimated to fall to roughly 30% by 2030, while renewable energy’s share in the total primary energy supply is projected to reach around 15-20%.
Sharing Victoria, Australia's success in leveraging technology for a modernised energy system, The Hon. Lily D' Ambrosio MP, Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Minister for Solar Homes, Victoria Australia, said that the Australian state has seen renewables generation grow from 10% in 2014 to more than 30% this year—decarbonising at the sharpest rate of any major jurisdiction in the country.
She attributed this success to both the depth and maturity of Victoria’s renewable energy and climate change policies, as well as the technology advances underpinning the Totally Renewable Yackandandah Microgrid. This project has helped mitigate power supply disruptions due to bushfires.
Paving the way to carbon neutrality
Expert speakers also deliberated on how technology can be further developed and deployed to decarbonise the energy sector.
Mr Minami Ryo, Deputy Commissioner for International Policy on Carbon Neutrality, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said hydrogen could be a key technology paving the way to carbon neutrality. Hydrogen has broad applications across power generation, transport and industry in decarbonisation efforts. He shared that Japan is working on advanced technologies such as the construction of a large-scale hydrogen supply chain.
Mr Mozaharul Alam, Regional Coordinator, Climate Change Programme, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), shared his views on ways to facilitate greater use of clean energy technologies. These include increasing more investments in cleaner technologies and renewables, as well as implementing more restrictive environmental regulations.
On that subject, Mr Amandeep Singh Bedi, Director – Sustainability Solutions, ENGIE Impact, said companies also need to level up their ambitions. They need to be willing to commit to pilot projects such as carbon capture and hydrogen production, and to investing in clean energy innovation. He added that it is also important for regulatory bodies to work together with industry players to provide the right regulatory support.
Mr Brian D. Byrne, Managing Director, Siemens Energy Pte Ltd Singapore, hopes to see more developed and coherent government policies that can provide the impetus for private companies to get together and innovate. He said this can only result in mutually beneficial opportunities arising from pilot project collaborations looking at specific technologies.
Indeed, Mr Mozaharul agreed that such harmonisation of policies and approaches would create a larger market at the regional level. This would attract more private investments, expediting the growth of clean technologies in the region.
In closing, Gauri Singh, Deputy Director-General of International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), reiterated that it is important for governments to work closely with the industry and stakeholders to develop the right policy and regulatory frameworks to bring in investments. She said this would set the tone and pace of how quickly the region moves ahead with its energy transition and climate action agenda.
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