Session 12: Tools and Products to Take Us to the Future:

May 8th, 2018

It will require creativity and robust foresight to addressing immediate energy sector needs while also planning for future needs in an ever-evolving social and technical landscape. The latest technologies in electricity generation, assessment and planning tools such as GIS mapping and Big Data as well as the digitalization of many existing technologies can meet this challenge. The focus for this session will be on entrepreneurs, companies and service providers who can highlight technologies that can deliver a step change in energy system services. Presenters will discuss the benefits to, and impacts on, incumbent companies (and organizations) that are currently meeting these needs.

 

Session Chair: Priyantha Wijayatunga, Director, Energy Division, South Asia Regional Department, Asian Development Bank

Presenters

Paul Bertheau, Geographer, Reiner Lemoine Institut

Geospatial Data and Mapping - Advancing the Knowledge of Off-Grid Electrification in Myanmar

Achieving electricity access for all remains a significant challenge for developing economies. In the context of rural electricity access, it is becoming clear that both the private and public sector must work together. As such, both policy makers and practitioners face the challenge of identifying priority regions for off-grid electrification. In a project with Nexant, INTEGRATION, and Suntac Technologies which was funded by ADB, Reiner Lemoine Institut (RLI) conducted a novel geospatial analysis of Myanmar’s dry region, revealing the potential and specific sites for renewable energy based minigrids. The geospatial analysis methodology focuses on identifying “good investment opportunities” (best-invest vs. least-cost), and presents this in an intuitive web map, enabling stakeholder analysis and adoption. This presentation will focus on the power of geospatial analysis for rural electrification planning and will include suggestions for scaling up the approach across Myanmar.

Hemant Nandanpawar, Senior Direct - Advisory Services (GPS - IDP Practice), Ernst & Young LLP

Blockchain: Smart Disruption for Clean Energy Deployment

Richard McIndoe, Executive Chairman, Edge Electrons

Smart Voltage Regulation and Power Quality Equipment for Networks and Consumers

Edge Electrons develops smart voltage regulation and power quality equipment for networks and consumers. Increasingly renewables are causing major problems in grid management. This presentation will introduce Edge’s globally patented digital technologies which enable utilities to monitor, control and maintain power quality across the Low Voltage network. Edge’s eSaver voltage regulator is low cost, simple to install, and reduces domestic energy consumption ~10%. It requires no behavioral change and is fully communications enabled, which allows clear validation of customer energy and CO2 savings. High-frequency, real-time communications also enables networks to vary voltage at the point-of-load to control peak electricity demand. Edge’s eSensor further enables end-use digitization as a low cost, fully communications-enabled transformer monitoring device, improving data analytics and control across the LV transformer network.

Walter Merida, Director, Clean Energy Research Centre, University of British Columbia

Toward Low or Zero Carbon Energy Systems: Clean, Connected and Safe Transportation

The University of British Columbia is the first Canadian university with a sustainability policy, and all its operations are driven by this policy, from procurement, construction and contracting processes, to research, education and innovation programs. As a result, greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by 33% from a 2007 baseline. This presentation will describe an illustrative project from this initiative: a multi-storey parking garage that will host solar PV generators, a hydrogen refueling station powered by solid-state electrolysis, and advanced electric and fuel cell vehicle services. Beyond passive recharging and refueling transactions, these connected assets will become active participants in energy management schemes and new business models. They will link energy, transportation and smart city design into future energy system architectures.

Syed Munir Khasru, Chairman, The Institute for Policy, Advocacy and Governance (IPAG)

The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Future of Energy: Opportunities and Challenges

The advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIR) has been catalyzing rapid reform across all sectors, industries and economies. Energy is one of the leading sectors expected to be significantly impacted by advanced technology and process changes. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is significantly impacting all segments of the energy sector value chain. This presentation focus on opportunities and challenges in renewable power production, smart grid management, demand-side management, AI (artificial intelligence) applications and the use of Big Data for the energy sector.