This inaugural Asia and the Pacific Renewable Energy Status Report provides a comprehensive overview of renewable energy developments in selected countries of the region. The report covers renewable energy trends and markets, energy access, policies and investments across 18 selected countries and five sub-regions:
- Northeast Asia (China, Japan, Mongolia, the Republic of Korea);
- Central Asia (Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan);
- South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka);
- Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Viet Nam) and
- The Pacific (Fiji, Tonga).
Although the Asia Pacific region is a renewable energy leader worldwide, the deployment of renewables continues to lag behind that of traditional energy sources in supplying the region’s rapidly increasing energy needs. Continuing growth in energy demand in the power, heating and cooling, and transport sectors opens a multi-faceted renewable energy opportunity in the region. Some of the largest countries in size and renewable energy potential still have relatively low shares of renewables in their total final energy consumption (TFEC). Overall, the region’s renewable energy share is still focused heavily on hydropower (especially large-scale hydropower) and bioenergy (biomass, biogas and liquid biofuels for heating, cooking and electricity). Modern renewable energy, such as solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind, has considerable room to grow. The region is innovating, and new technologies are being implemented in the market. Governments in the region are catching up with the latest market developments, and some are pro-actively looking to build an investment pipeline in renewable energy. Cities and local authorities are building their own mandates and are going green with renewable energy, offering an immediate opportunity for renewables in power, heating and cooling, and transport.
The report builds on the success and lessons learned in producing the Renewables Global Status Report and other REN21 regional status reports, to inform on the current status of renewable energy in the region, focusing on those countries where data is currently available.