The International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Energy Market Authority (EMA) of Singapore jointly organised a regional training programme on Sustainable Energy Policies for Smart Cities from 7 to 10 September 2020. Held virtually amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the training workshop attracted more than 200 participants from across the region, even beyond.

The training aims to build capacity and bring together policymakers and professionals in Southeast Asia and equip them with greater knowledge and skills to establish a pathway towards energy efficient, smart, and sustainable city planning in their respective countries. The large theme of a smart and sustainable city is divided into three modules, namely integrated spatial and transport planning, smart and sustainable municipal services, and distributed energy resources.

The programme was opened by Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director of IEA, and Dr. Jonathan Goh, representing Mr. Ngiam Shih Chun, Chief Executive of EMA. This is followed by a keynote speech from Dr. Limin Hee, Director of Centre for Liveable Cities. Participated in the training were several members of the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), three of which are from ASEAN Climate Change and Energy Project (ACCEPT): Beni Suryadi, Rika Safrina, and Zulfikar Yurnaidi.

The three days programme was broken down into one key module for each day. The general structure of the training programme was a seminar session of guest speakers followed by a breakout session. In the breakout session, the participants are divided into several groups to better encourage interaction and discussions on the specific module of the day. The breakout session was informative and interactive, with the use of live polls followed by insightful discussions.

On the last day of the training, each of the breakout session groups shared their takings of the training, through role playing as a policymaker, assessing potential issues and opportunities and proposed solutions to a specific issue in a city. Rika and Zulfikar, who were part of Group 3 representatives, shared the future challenges and opportunities of a mid-sized city from the perspective of urban planning. While Group 5, of which Beni belongs to, discussed high cost for lighting system in a city due to inefficiency design and use.

Training Participants and Facilitators (source: EMA Twitter)

Overall, the training programme has strengthened the knowledge of participants in designing policies of smart and sustainable cities through policy and technological options, as well as study cases. The programme also serves as a platform to improve the professional networks for participants, which could be leveraged towards collaboration in the future.

The event also positively correlates with ACCEPT in its attempt to bridge the silo between policymakers and professionals, in topics that are in-line with energy-climate nexus, including EVs, lighting, energy efficiency, and smart services. The insights and skills provided from the training are crucial for ACCEPT in its research and cooperation activities towards the promotion of climate-friendly energy systems in the region.