Research Database

The Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP) and the­ Next Energy Modeling syste­m for Optimization (NEMO) were utilized in this pape­r. The authors evaluated whe­ther it's possible for deve­loping countries' power sectors, particularly Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, to inte­grate 100% renewable­ energy. The findings affirm this goal can be re­ached. They can do this by harnessing powe­r from hydropower and non-hydro renewable­s. Energy storage is a vital component in this. The­ costs associated with this project are proje­cted to be around 1.1% to 1.8% of the GDP in 2020.

In the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries, where the energy sector accounts for 84% of CO2 emissions, achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 would require the adoption of efficient technologies, renewable energy sources providing at least 81% of electricity, and the implementation of advanced low-carbon technologies, such as carbon capture and storage, particularly in coal, natural gas, and bioenergy industries, along with the utilization of electric vehicles in the transport sector, as essential measures to decarbonize the energy systems.

This study has been produced under the Climate Compatible Growth programme, which is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The views expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies.

This study provides emission inventories for MSEA countries for 2010-2019, based on the IPCC territorial emission accounting approach , including emissions from five types of fuels (i.e., coal, crude oil, oil products, natural gas, and biofuels & waste) used in 47 economic sectors.

This study used media reporting from 1971 to 2020 to combine sentiment analysis, dynamic topic mining, and statistical analysis to quantitatively examine the dynamics and drivers of attitudes towards Lancang Mekong hydropower development.

Strategic dam planning and the deployment of decentralized renewable technologies are two elements of the same problem, yet normally addressed in isolation. Here, we show that an integrated view of the power system capacity expansion problem could have transformative effects for Southeast Asia’s hydropower plans. We demonstrate that Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia have tangible opportunities for meeting projected electricity demand and CO2 emission targets with less hydropower than currently planned—options range from halting the construction of all dams in the Lower Mekong to building 82% of the planned ones. The key enabling strategies for these options to succeed are solar PV and regional coordination, expressed in the form of centralized planning and cross-border power trading. The alternative expansion plans would slightly increase the cumulative costs (up to 2.4%), but substantially limit the fragmentation of additional river reaches, thereby offering more sustainable pathways for the Mekong’s ecosystems and riparian people.

Study region The Nam Ngum River Basin, the major tributary of the Mekong River, is located in the Laos PDR. Study focus This study aims to assess the sensitivity of Nam Ngum 1 reservoir operation to water resource uncertainty driven by a combination of climate change and upstream cascade dam development. New hydrological insights for […]

This chapter investigates how, and under what conditions, growth strategies can include attempts to moderate the negative effects of their strategies on climate change. In particular, it focuses on the possibilities for developing countries seeking to industrialise to make use of the current focus on renewables in order to meet climate change targets while continuing with their industrialisation strategies. The main argument is that a shift to renewable energy is not inconsistent with an industrialisation process if the latter is export-oriented and some or most of the initial costs of switching to renewable energy are borne by the state.

The Greater Mekong Subregion is a transnational area bound together by the Mekong River basin and its immense hydropower resources, historically seen as the backbone of regional economic development. The basin is now punctuated by several dams, successful in attracting both international investors and fierce criticisms for their environmental and societal impacts. Surprisingly, no attention has been paid so far to the actual performance of these infrastructures: is hydropower supply robust with respect to the hydroclimatic variability characterizing Southeast Asia? When water availability is altered, what are the implications for power production costs and CO2 emissions? To answer these questions, we focus on the Laotian–Thai grid—the first international power-trade infrastructure developed in the region—and use a power system model driven by a spatially distributed hydrological-water management model. Simulation results over a 30-year period show that production costs and carbon footprint are significantly affected by droughts, which reduce hydropower availability and increase reliance on thermoelectric resources. Regional droughts across the Mekong basin are of particular concern, as they reduce the export of cheap hydropower from Laos to Thailand. To put the analysis into a broader climate-water-energy context, we show that the El Niño Southern Oscillation modulates not only the summer monsoon, but also the power system behavior, shaping the relationship between hydroclimatological conditions, power production costs, and CO2 emissions. Overall, our results and models provide a knowledge basis for informing robust management strategies at the water-energy scale and designing more sustainable power plans in the Greater Mekong Subregion.