Asia and pacific region ‘must clean up energy to reach global decarbonisation’

A new REN21 report suggests the deployment of renewables in the area continues to lag behind that of traditional energy sources

The Asia and the Pacific region’s economic transformation and energy transition is fundamental to the success of global decarbonisation goals.

That’s according to a new REN21 report, which suggests the deployment of renewables in the area continues to lag behind that of traditional energy sources – this is significant, as the region contributes 52% of the world population and accounts for most of the world’s population growth.

It notes continuing growth in energy demand in the power, heating and cooling and transport sectors opens a “multi-faceted renewable energy opportunity”.

The report highlights China, India, Japan and Bangladesh are at the forefront of clean energy developments in terms of the power sector but shows India had a less than 40% renewable energy share in 2016, while China’s share was below a fifth the same year.

It stresses that the region’s renewable energy share is still heavily focused on hydropower and bioenergy, while modern renewable energy such as solar and wind has “considerable room to grow”.

REN21 reveals floating solar technologies gained traction in 2018 and are particularly attracting interest from countries with limited available land.

It states renewable energy for heating and cooling is still mostly underdeveloped in the region, except in China.

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