The transition to renewable energy development and efficient energy use is critically important to avoid an over dependence on fossil fuels (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung(FES) Vietnam Office held a conference in Hanoi on September 20, discussing asocially just energy transition in Asia.
The event presented the findings of acomparative study project that FES carried out in eight Asian nations, namelyIndia, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand,China and Vietnam.
Deputy chief representative of the FES VietnamOffice Yvonne Blos said the governments of many Asian countries are in adilemma as they have to meet the rising demand for electricity consumption andcut greenhouse gas emissions. With these issues, the countries’ energystructure is set to change greatly in the next few years.
To avoid an over dependence on fossil fuels, thetransition to renewable energy development and efficient energy use is criticallyimportant, she added.
At the conference, delegates from the eightcountries presented the main findings, mostly about their nations’ energytransition.
The Philippines targets renewable energy makingup 50 percent of its total electricity output by 2030. It wants to increasepower generation from renewable energy from 5GW in 2010 to 15GW in 2030.
[Infographics: Renewable energy development yet to match potential]
Meanwhile, Vietnam plans to raise the rate ofrenewable and new energy sources to about 5 percent of total energy in 2020 and11 percent in 2050.
The study’s authors claimed that energytransition can ensure social justice as it can enhance the quality of energyservices, create jobs, modernise industry, boost economic efficiency andgrowth, improve environmental quality and reduce climate change. Therefore, aroad map is needed towards socially just energy transition.
Countries should develop new long-term energyvisions, improve State-owned enterprises’ transparency and competitiveness, andissue fiscal policies boosting renewable energy and energy efficiency, theywrote.
They also need to enhance renewable energy andenergy efficiency capacity while accessing rural communities, the study groupnoted.-VNA
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