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This week, the Climate Parliament was proud to co-host a Regional Workshop on Energy Connectivity and Transboundary Power Trade in Asia, together with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation (NCSC), and the Chinese Renewable Energy Industry Association (CREIA).
The two-day workshop was held in in Suzhou, China, from 7-9 November, 2015, and was designed to bring together key stakeholders and enable experts and participants to share insights and experiences regarding the development of regional transboundary power trade - a essential prerequisite for the global transition to clean, renewable energy in the coming years. The workshop was comprised of four main sessions:
Overview of transboundary power trade, including drivers, benefits, ongoing initiatives, and status of progress.
Feasibility of transboundary power trade, including technical, political, regulatory, and investment barriers.
Renewable energy and its relationship with transboundary power trade.
Moving forward, the next steps.
Both our Executive Director, Dr Sanjay Kumar, and our Secretary-General, Nicholas Dunlop, gave presentations at the workshop, centered around energy connectivity in South Asia and promoting the energy transition through renewable interconnection, respectively.
The underlying objective of the workshop was to develop consensus and coalition around policies to increase the interconnection and integration of regional renewable energy capacity. This is a necessary first step to creating a truly sustainable global energy system, overcoming problems of intermittency, storage and dispersal. The creation of regional power markets, thus enhancing economic integration and sustainability, was a key focal point of discussion at the workshop. The feasibility - or otherwise - of various financing options such as Public-Private Partnerships was also explored, as were barriers to implementation, including political, regulatory, economic, and technical roadblocks.
The Climate Parliament is excited to continue working with UNESCAP, CREIA and the NCSC on these essential topics in the months ahead.