@ Forest | November-December , 2020

By Kavickumar Muruganathan

target of securing 23 per cent of its primary energy from renewable sources by 2025 with energy demand projected to grow by 50 per cent . Across Southeast Asia , windy coasts stretch as far as the eye can see . Despite the region ’ s wind energy potential being immense , nations have been slow to harness this wealth of clean energy .

This has resulted in piecemeal wind projects sprouting across Southeast Asia . Vietnam , for instance , has a 309GW technical potential for offshore wind . However , it is only targeting 6GW to be supplied by 2030 , which is less than two per cent of its potential .

Key challenges in wind energy development

Wind energy projects remain an expensive proposition and most Asean countries find it difficult to foot the bill . Due to the capital-intensive nature of such projects , financial access is crucial .

With a lack of financial access and public funding support , the wind energy sector remains a relatively unattractive sector to invest in for many Asean countries . Coupled with this , Asean member States and financial institutions lack expertise and experience in evaluating the risk of wind energy investment .

The lack of regulatory framework is a major hurdle for the development of wind energy projects .

For example , Brunei has no policy framework to regulate the development of renewable energy but is currently studying the possibility of creating one . Policies to regulate the proper use of land and consequent environmental impacts are also absent and this poses a concern when large scale wind energy projects are executed .

The lack of coordination between government agencies and private sector hinders the implementation of renewable energy policies and priorities . Laos is a case in point .

With tremendous wind energy potential , the lack of alignment between the government and independent energy players has curtailed the development of its renewal energy sector .

Complex bureaucracies are deep rooted in many Asean states . In Indonesia , the state electricity company , Perusahaan Listrik Negara ( PLN ), monopolises the local electricity generation market which inhibits the interests of potential investors in wind energy .

Geographical and infrastructure limitations hinder wind energy deployment and electricity transmission . Countries like Indonesia and the Philippines are archipelagic and have fragmented electricity grids that pose transmission challenges .

Much of wind energy remains untapped as 80 per cent of wind blows uninterrupted further offshore in waters deeper than 60 metres . In such deep waters , the construction of turbines embedded in the sea floor pose a challenge .

Turning the tide to harness the potential of wind

Inertia in policy , financing , harnessing technology and resolving vested interests in the energy sector is slowing the growth of wind in this region . There must be greater collaboration between industry and individual governments in South East Asia to overcome these challenges .

Collaboration in the political , economic and technological domains will limit risk perception that might hinder wind energy investment flows and ensure progress toward achieving the region ’ s energy goals .

Policy makers and other development actors should prioritise investment in clean , reliable and affordable energy as a pillar of development across Southeast Asia . Clear and consistent policy is key to building trust , reducing risks and costs for public agencies and private investors .

Once stable long-term policy frameworks are enacted , a wider range of financing models will come into play , creating a cost-competitive wind energy industry , leading to greater wind energy deployment .

The adoption of wind energy offers clear environmental , economic and social benefits , including job creation , reducing air pollution and tackling climate change .

On the greater scheme of things , competing interests must not exist between various types of renewable energy sources . The energy sector in Southeast Asia must identify systemwide solutions and cooperate with governments to identify comprehensive , long-term solutions .

Ultimately , a mix of renewable energy sources combined with grid infrastructure reinforcements and technological innovation is required . Knowledge sharing , collaboration and smart solutions will enable advancements towards a clean and secure energy future for Southeast Asia .

Potential of floating offshore wind platforms

While still in the early stages of implementation , recent projects have shown promise for floating wind turbines .

Floating wind turbines present an opportunity to tap wind energy that is further offshore and in deeper waters .

A single six MW floating wind turbine can generate enough electricity to power about 4,000 homes . But to provide equivalent household electricity for a global population of 9 billion by 2050 would require approximately half a million offshore wind turbines , an approximate 100-fold increase on the current global number .

While floating wind farms are technically feasible , they are not economically viable at present . Constructing anything offshore is expensive .

To build and decommission a 1 GW fixed-bottom wind turbine will cost approximately US $ 1.2 billion across a 25-year lifespan excluding yearly operation and maintenance costs of about US $ 100 million .

Floating wind turbines will cost even more to commission . Electricity from floating turbines will cost more to generate as well .

Offshore wind structures are huge . Each blade of a wind turbine has the same length as an A380 aeroplane ’ s wingspan . Constructing , installing , operating , maintaining and decommissioning an infrastructure of this scale in the middle of the ocean is no mean feat .

A single floating wind turbine produces a lot less energy than a single offshore oil & gas rig . A lot more infrastructure is needed for the same energy yield from wind . Putting an offshore wind turbine out at sea and keeping it there needs to be a lot cheaper to match the cost of energy production from offshore oil & gas .

Cost reductions cannot be achieved by sharpening the efficiency of existing methods and technologies .

Technology a crucial enabler for untapped potential

New technologies to make floating wind platforms cost-effective need to be explored . The use of robots to control offshore engineering activities such as investigating the seabed to operating , inspecting and maintaining a floating wind turbine can reduce risk and provide more efficient control of systems .

Smart sensors built into all parts of a floating wind farm can continuously assess the structure instead of highly laborious and risky routine inspections .

Machine learning can predict weather data to control the positions of turbine blades to maximise energy generated and prevent damage during high winds or storms .

With investment in technology , floating wind platforms can supercharge Southeast Asia ’ s wind energy capacity . – @ Forest