Migration to urban areas resulting from overall economic growth across Asia has created a focus on development issues in urban centers at the expense of addressing poverty in rural communities. More than 400 million people across Asia lack access to electricity, especially in geographically remote rural areas, in fragile states, and in small island communities. , Due to their location and poor infrastructure, these rural communities, are more vulnerable to climate change related disasters and extreme weather events.
This track will highlight efforts to improve the quality of life and hasten economic growth in rural areas by increasing access to clean and modern energy services. The track will also cover efforts to improve financial inclusion for energy access through microfinance. One session will have a special focus on women and another on “Future Energy”.
Topics will include, but are not limited to, innovative end-user technologies and applications and energy efficient and climate-resilient infrastructure and practices, including planning for disasters and enhancing disaster preparedness and emergency responses. Case studies and examples of regional cooperation will be presented throughout the track.
Abstracts should address one of the topics listed below:
Energy and Poverty, Session 1: Planning and Building for Climate Resilience and Low-Carbon Growth
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. This session will look at mitigation and adaptation technologies, energy-efficient and climate-resilient building practices, green insurance products, and innovative motorized water transport for efficient evacuation in the wake of disasters.
The session will address the following questions:
- What are some innovative climate-resilient mitigation and adaptation technologies and practices, including for disaster preparedness and awareness?
- How can we build climate-positive community organizations, strengthen core infrastructure, and create socio-technical structures to cope with and respond to emergencies?
- What are the economic benefits, and what training is needed?
- What are the key challenges and success stories in the region?
* Countries in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations include most (9 out of 14) of ADB’s Pacific Developing Member Countries, as well as Afghanistan, Nepal, and Myanmar. For more information see here.
Energy and Poverty, Session 2: Going Beyond Solar Home Systems
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 materials replacement. This session will highlight approaches to scaling up solar rooftop PV in rural communities and will explore micro-grid and mini-grid configurations to provide economies of scale while ensuring reliable and adequate energy supply to power productive uses beyond household energy requirements.
The session will address the following questions:
- How can we effectively scale up solar rooftop PV in rural communities?
- What are the challenges and advantages of using microinverters, as well as integrating hybrid combinations (e.g., renewable energy with batteries or diesel back-up)?
- What are the economic benefits and what job training is needed?
- What are the key challenges and success stories in the region?
Energy and Poverty, Session 3: Innovative and Inclusive Microfinance for Renewable Energy
Energy access for poor rural communities is dependent on three core pillars: appropriate renewable energy technologies, effective distribution channels, and affordable financing. Microfinance institutions (MFIs), in partnership with pro-poor energy product suppliers, can offer financing and built-in distribution channels to their existing clients, most of whom are women. This session will highlight efforts to improve financial inclusion for energy access through microfinance and will discuss how investments in clean energy can improve productivity, create jobs, and enhance livelihoods for poor rural families, and especially for women.
The session will address the following questions:
- How has the journey of MFIs evolved from financing solar lanterns to financing energy-efficient consumer durables and larger-scale assets for productive uses?
- What are the successful business models for inclusive microfinance for renewable energy?
- What are the key challenges and success stories in the region?
Energy and Poverty, Session 4: Innovating End-use Applications: Cooking, Cooling, Heating, and Industry
Rural poverty is almost synonymous with energy poverty—without access to modern energy services, there is little opportunity for economic advancement. Access to modern clean energy allows for more productive end uses, job creation, longer productive hours, and cleaner water and sanitation, among other benefits. This session will highlight experiences from across Asia in the use of renewable energy technologies in specific end-use applications, in households, and across development sectors.
The session will address the following questions:
- How has energy access impacted stakeholders in the agriculture and farming, health care, water and sanitation, and community-based industries related to tourism and food processing?
- What are the significant achievements in gender sensitivity and gender equality in energy use and management?
- What are the economic benefits?
- What are the key challenges and success stories in the region?
Energy and Poverty, Session 5: Future Energy for Transformational Change
Several tried-and-tested energy technologies have yet to be demonstrated in rural, SIDS and FCAS communities. This session will focus on advanced energy technologies, applications, practices and differentiated approaches targeting specific challenges of the poor and vulnerable in rural, SIDS countries and FCAS* .
The session will address the following questions:
- How can we leverage technologies such as floating solar for ocean, salt-water and freshwater applications, including for deep-sea fishing; rooftop PV for irrigation canals; and solar pumping?
- Can wave and tidal energy, and portable and mobile generation systems such as solar trucks, e-rickshaws and trikes reach underserved communities in far flung areas?
- What are some of the best climate-smart practices from around the globe, including other developing regions such as Africa and Latin America?
- What are the key challenges and success stories in the region?