Solar rooftop PV, particularly solar home systems, are well established globally, including across rural communities in Asia. Some efforts to promote solar rooftop have been successful; however, others, especially in remote and island communities, face multiple technical problems, including lack of proper maintenance or equipment replacement.

Asia’s rural populations—from remote mountainous regions to low-lying coastal communities in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) countries and Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations (FCAS)*—are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change: extreme weather events, drought, increased precipitation, rising sea levels, storm surges, and coastal flooding.

There is a critical need to properly address water supply and sanitation in Asia, as the lack of adequate waste management policies and infrastructure improvements is impacting many watersheds. This session featured discussions on water treatment for water supply, and energy generation from waste, including biogas from sludge digestion.

Presenters in this session examined efforts to make hydropower more sustainable, including improved basin planning and management, and the study of environmental flows (EFlows) as a way of mitigating the effects of human developments on rivers and estuaries, and thus managing water resources for long-term sustainability.

Water-based energy generation systems such floating solar photovoltaics (PV) offer great opportunities for the clean energy transition in Asia. This session included deliberations on how to scale up floating solar PV technologies supported through favorable policies and delivered at competitive prices, while minimizing environmental and social impacts.

As populations continue to grow rapidly across Asia, it is important to discuss how to improve the sustainability of irrigation while also improving overall agriculture production, in order to meet growing demand. Presenters in this session focused on solar-based and grid powered irrigation and will highlight energy-saving mechanisms for groundwater pumping and water transmission, including efficient water use for irrigation.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that nearly 91% of the world’s population lives in places where air quality exceeds WHO guideline limits, leading to serious health issues and in some cases deaths. Presenters in this session highlighted the range of social, environmental, health and safety and climate change benefits that new urban energy systems can offer to urban communities.

The buildings sector is responsible for more than one-third of global final energy consumption. Presenters in this session highlighted the essential role of heating and cooling in the energy profile of cities and discussed technologies, systems, and strategies for moving toward low-carbon space-conditioning of cities.

The mobility of city residents and goods in Asia today is largely dependent on petroleum fuels that power road vehicles and other public transportation systems. Presenters in this session explored the potential for sustainable urban mobility, and discussed a range of technological innovations, policy and regulatory support, attractive business models and financial structuring that can create an enabling environment for e-mobility.

Cities require reliable energy for efficient water supply, wastewater treatment, solid waste management, housing, logistics, and other essential functions. Presenters in this session shared forward-thinking views, industry insights and concrete examples of how utilities can promote the integration of renewable energy and energy efficiency into urban planning.

For the first time in 2019, ACEF is organizing a track that will highlight leading-edge research into new and innovative clean energy technologies and systems. This track will focus on identifying the market trends and technologies that are driving the clean energy revolution, their fundamental drivers and the outlook for the future.

This track will draw on the experience of project developers, entrepreneurs, governments and investors from across Asia. It will also draw on the experience of ADB and other development partners in identifying new niches and areas where catalytic finance can make a difference—through the support of new technologies, business models, and financing tools and mechanisms.