The potential contribution of projected ASEAN Power Grid to emission reduction
Abstract This paper analyzed the potential contribution of the projected ASEAN Power Grid (APG) with increased contribution of renewable energy (RE) in the power system, toward emission reduction in South East Asia, both in region and country level, in three different scenarios (Baseline, ASEAN Target, and Optimum RE). Data collection was done with a series of (co-creation) consultation meetings with countries in the region and international energy institutes. Estimation of emission reduction from CO2 and N2O was calculated based on projected solar and wind capacity addition to replace fossil fuel consumption in the APG. We found that the potential contribution of the projected APG toward emission reduction in South East Asia is up to 112,267 million tons of CO2 and 64 thousand tons of N2O by 2040, under the optimum RE scenario. The source of that contribution is varying at the country level. Countries with potential significant contributions are Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Countries like Singapore and Brunei that have a relatively small contribution to the region, also having progressive trends to meet the RE target and its emission reduction. This trend shows a potential progressive improvement for those countries to reduce their emission from the energy sector by 2040. With their current high base scenario, they may reach a higher target in the future to integrate variable RE to the APG and contributing to emission reduction in the region.