Renewable Energy Policy

I understand Renewable Energy policy as a framework that allows countries to enable RE* solutions for their energy needs, protect the environment, and simultaneously provide guidance to attract investments, creating jobs and energy security through reliable, abundant, and cheap local renewables production.

Clean Energy is a relatively new domain for some governments; it's essential to provide assistance to build up their renewables policies framework; working out proposals for policies that would help fast-track renewables adoption are essential.

Some of my insights in clean energy policy in APAC*:

·????????Grid reliability increases through policies that address the distribution of RE across the country and not in a few specific locations.

·????????Stakeholder resistance, easier to manage in growing markets than in mature ones. Policies to incentivize utilities in transitioning to RE are essential.

·????????One of the mechanisms to fast-track RE adoption is a solid self-consumption scheme + DPPAs* + NEM* in place (no cap, but with check/balance by the government).

·????????Developing local jobs in RE manufacturing, besides in construction and O&M, is a relevant point in some countries to promote clean energy.

·????????Executives orders, triggered by a significant RE investment offered to a country or by multinational's demand for RE supply, can accelerate RE policy adoption in that country.

·????????ADB involvement is important for a country (China currently exerts more influence than Japan here). The World Bank is also starting to play a role in the region. Both can provide guarantees to foreign investors and financiers.

·????????Storage, agrivoltaics, and optimization of existing plants require new policies.

·????????Reapproach penalties in PPAs and contracts to avoid the conversion of risks into certain losses in the name of "risk allocation." It is unnecessary to pile up risk margins across the supply chain.

·????????RE education/training essential across all stakeholders. To avoid energy bias, understand stranded assets concept, and acknowledge external costs of fossil fuels.

·????????Members of Parliament could be more open to RE policy ideas than current cabinet members in some specific cases.

·????????One of the major RE blocks in Asia is the lack of infrastructure (power lines, roads). The ultimate goal is to achieve an ASEAN power grid.

??

A success story in RE policy:

Community tariff policy for welfare homes, orphanages, and NGOs. The policy defines a specific FIT* for these communities. It helped create revenue for these organizations, transforming them into small power producers, enabling independent income generation streams.??

Do you agree that policy is critical to our future?

*APAC: Asia Pacific

*FIT: Feed-in Tariff

*NEM: Net Energy Metering

*RE: Renewable Energy

*DPPAs: Direct Power Purchase Agreements

*PPA: Power Purchase Agreement

??

?