Track 1 considered long-term issues faced by ADB’s DMCs. The ability to balance economic growth, poverty reduction, and tackle climate change—known as the Energy Trilemma—will require innovative technologies and business models. To better equip the DMCs in achieving their NDC targets, the Track has explored issues and strategies for confronting the energy transition.

Description: The short-term changes to business operations caused by COVID-19 have gotten people thinking about other changes in the way they will do business going forward.  In the areas of energy and environment, this is especially so.  The panelists described the direct impacts of COVID-19 in their businesses and shared their thoughts on wider trends and impacts for the medium term.

Description: This session included presentations on policy challenges and approaches for dealing with the impact of COVID-19 on the energy sector. The presentations presented an analysis of impacts of, and policy responses to, COVID-19 in the energy sectors of Southeast Asia, China, and Pakistan.

Description: This session included descriptions of the impacts of COVID-19 on different parts of the energy sector including utility power and decentralized energy systems, as well as new models for delivered technical assistance more effectively.                                      

Moderator: Jerry Yan, Director of Future Energy Profile, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)

Co-Moderator: Yongping Zhai, Energy Sector Chief, Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Scene-Setter Talk: Kelly Hewitt, Principal Planning and Coordination Specialist, Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Sustainable Biofuel Perspectives, Opportunities and Challenges after the Pandemic     
Presenter: David Chiaramonti, Professor, President of Renewable Energy Consortium for R&D Polytechnic of Turin

Global Opportunities through the IEA Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme
Presenter: Jim Spaeth, Program Manager, Bioenergy Technologies Office US Department of Energy

This presentation highlighted key potential areas for collaboration in light of the world changing pandemic.

Description: Improving management capacity can increase the reliability and resilience of the energy supply in the most economic and efficient manner. In this sense, energy resilience could be achieved by taking proactive measures, introducing emergency plans and working procedures, enhancing coordination and synergy with other public service departments, etc.

Descriptions: Advanced technology application has greatly changed the way we use energy and improved energy system capacity against disaster and emergency situation. Combining modern ICT technologies with power system technologies, renewable energy solutions, power storage, and other applications enable the energy system more resilient through proactive planning, smart controlling, better monitoring, fast locating, and efficient restorage.

Description: This session presented experience and plans for climate/disaster proofing energy and urban infrastructure including existing and future developments. Protection of existing energy and infrastructure such as pipelines, power transmission facilities, health facilities, and supply chains, will be required during the transition.

Description:Solar PV as a proven technology presents opportunities for integration of cost-efficient cross-sectoral innovations and value-added benefits in its applications. This session looked at an off-grid community in Pakistan that achieved resilience through enhanced community stewardship and training in operation and maintenance of solar-based appliances.

Description:Building resilience in FCAS and SIDS requires concerted, coordinated and measured solutions. This session showcased examples of climate adaption planning and solutions, and post-conflict emergency responses. Speakers shared insights into developing the Marshall Islands roadmap for aid-effectiveness in climate and energy; highlighted lessons in providing rapid and sustainable response to water and power shortages in the wake of the Marawi conflict that destroyed infrastructure, and threatened health and safety; and described a method to grow ‘living breakwaters’ that protect coastlines and increase bio-diversity in local marine eco-systems, using renewable energy.

Description: Small island states are big ocean states. Sustainable harnessing of this vast resource supports economic growth and provides livelihoods and revenues beyond fishing licenses and vessel-day schemes. This session looked at marine clean energy production with multiple co-benefits: wave plus solar energy for a small island in Vietnam; marine solar for production of hydrogen, ammonia and methanol; and floating solar with aquaculture for energy and food security.

Description: The People's Republic of China (PRC) has experienced successful economic growth over the last decades, but at the same time, has experienced challenges common to many upper-middle income countries (UMICs)—air pollution, urban-rural gap, and emerging cooling energy demand.

Description: When most people think of solar, they think of panels and electrons. Solar PV is great, but it’s far from all solar has to offer. Solar has opportunities across sectors, from solar thermal applications to emergency water supply and desalination, urban vertical farming that can reduce transport, concentrating solar for industrial heat and steam operations, and more.