Southeast Asia's Clean Energy Transition

The leading platform for the region's journey of transformation

Banks headquartered in eight Asia-Pacific markets facilitated just US$0.83 of low-carbon energy financing for every US$1 directed towards fossil fuels in 2024

Bangkok’s response to the LNG price shock highlights a regional problem in which sustainable finance instruments are proliferating, yet clean energy projects remain harder to fund than fossil fuel projects.

Cirata floating solar plant in West Java

Integrating the solar target into Indonesia’s power plan would coordinate investment in generation, grids and storage, as renewable costs fall and utility-scale solar becomes up to 44 per cent cheaper than coal, according to Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.

Higher tariffs, grid guarantees and scrutiny of water use come alongside wider access to renewable power as Bangkok tries to balance digital investment with energy security.

A wide investment shortfall and weak archipelagic grids hinder efforts to deliver nonstop carbon-free power, particularly for data centres and other industries that need round-the-clock clean electricity, said nonprofit Global Renewables Alliance.

The United States-led partnership, that aims to position the country as a strategic hub for critical minerals, must embed climate justice, gender equity and community participation from the outset to ensure a just energy transition, warn women advocates.

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More than half of surveyed companies also plan to tap blended finance as the region confronts an estimated US$400 billion annual investment need to reach net zero and expand solar and wind, which supply just 4 per cent of the region’s electricity, Standard Chartered says.

Higher tariffs, grid guarantees and scrutiny of water use come alongside wider access to renewable power as Bangkok tries to balance digital investment with energy security.

As Malaysia moves to retire coal power by 2044, the country has an opportunity to turn retiring coal sites into clean energy hubs and accelerate the deployment of solar, storage and other renewable technologies.

Mismatched financing tenures, risk premiums and the demand profiles of data centre operators are among the many concerns of the country’s solar power providers.